More Than a Theme Song: Why Mr. Belvedere Had One of Television's Smartest Openings

Some television theme songs are catchy. Some tell you who the characters are. A few become nostalgic time capsules that instantly take you back to a certain place and time.

Then there is Mr. Belvedere.

The theme song, "According to Our New Arrival," performed by Leon Redbone and written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo, did something most sitcom theme songs never even attempted. It explained the entire premise, philosophy, and emotional heart of the show in less than a minute.

The older I get, the more I appreciate just how clever it really was.

Here are the lyrics..

Streaks on the china

Never mattered before

Who cared?

When you drop kicked your jacket

As you came through through the door

No one glared

But, sometimes things get

Turned around

And no one's spared

All hands look out below!

There's a change in the status quo

We're gonna need all the help that we can get

According to our new arrival

Life is more than mere survival

And we just might live the good life yet

A Show About More Than a Housekeeper

On the surface, Mr. Belvedere was about a British gentleman named Lynn Belvedere who becomes a live in housekeeper for the Owens family in Pittsburgh.

George Owens played by the late, great, Bob Eucker.. was a sportswriter. Marsha Owens was balancing family life while pursuing a law career. The kids were typical kids. The house was busy, loud, messy, and often chaotic.

Then.. Mr. Belvedere arrived.

Most people remember the show as a fish out of water comedy. A refined British gentleman trying to survive in a middle class American household. But the show was really about something deeper. It was about what happens when someone enters your life and quietly raises your expectations.

The Meaning Behind the Opening Lyrics

The song begins with lines about streaks on the china and dropping your jacket on the floor without anyone caring.

At first glance, those seem like simple observations about housekeeping. They are not. Those lyrics describe a family that has become comfortable with disorder. Not bad people. Not lazy people. Just people who have settled into routines that are good enough.

The Owens family was surviving. Mr. Belvedere wanted them to do more than survive. He wanted them to thrive. That idea becomes crystal clear in the most important lyric of the entire song:

"According to our new arrival, life is more than mere survival."

That single line may be the best summary of the entire series. Belvedere was not trying to create a perfect family. He was encouraging them to become the best version of themselves. Read more, learn more, take pride in your home, improve your habits, expect more from yourself. Those themes appeared over and over throughout the show's six season run

The Real Plot of Mr. Belvedere

Many sitcoms are built around funny situations, but Mr. Belvedere was built around personal growth. Every week the Owens family faced a problem, challenge, misunderstanding, or life lesson. Belvedere was usually the person who helped them see things differently

What made the show work so well was that he was not perfect either. He could be stubborn, judgmental, and overly confident. The family changed him just as much as he changed them

That is why another lyric in the song stands out:

"Sometimes things get turned around, and no one's spared."

Yes, everybody grows, everybody changes and nobody remains exactly the same. That was the real story

Why Leon Redbone Was the Perfect Choice

A huge part of the theme song's charm comes from Leon Redbone's performance. His voice sounded like it came from another era. While most television themes of the 1980s embraced contemporary pop music, Redbone brought a sound that felt decades older.

That was perfect for Mr. Belvedere himself. The Owens family represented modern America. Belvedere represented old world refinement, manners, and tradition. Even before the first scene began, the music was already telling us everything we needed to know about the character.

The Theme Song Was the Show

What makes "According to Our New Arrival" so memorable is that it was not simply introducing the characters.

It was introducing an idea. The idea that one person can walk into your life and inspire you to do better. Not through lectures, not through force, but through example.

That is why the final message of the song still resonates today.

The Owens family was not looking for a better life.

Yet because of Mr. Belvedere, they discovered they might actually find one.

"And we just might live the good life yet."

That line was never really about money or success, it was about growth and becoming more than you were yesterday. For a sitcom that many people remember as a lighthearted family comedy, that is a surprisingly profound message. And that's why decades later, the theme song remains one of the smartest and most meaningful openings in television history (in my humble opinion).

Final Thoughts

When I was younger, I enjoyed Mr. Belvedere because it was funny. Watching it now, I appreciate it for a completely different reason. The show understood something simple but important. Sometimes the most valuable person in our lives is not the one who makes us comfortable. It's the one who challenges us to be better. That was Mr. Belvedere's role in the Owens household. 

From the very first note of that wonderful theme song, the series told us exactly what it was all about and dropped some great philosophy to boot.  Maybe that's why I remember it after all these years.

The Psychology Behind Revisiting Forgotten 80s and 90s TV

There is a strange little phenomenon I have been thinking about and I'm not even sure it has a proper name.. but it definitely feels real in a way that is hard to ignore once you notice it.

It's the feeling of being drawn back to television shows or cultural moments you were technically around for when they were new, maybe even saw here and there, but never really committed to at the time. 

Not favorites. Not childhood obsessions. Just things that were part of the background noise of life. 

Then decades later.. something shifts and suddenly there is curiosity, even a kind of pull, like you want to go back and actually see what was going on there.

Not because you miss it exactly. It is more like you want to complete a missing piece of your own timeline. One example that keeps sticking with me is that old television show 'Mr. Belvedere'. I was never really a fan of it back then. I might have watched a half episode here or there, but it was never something I followed. It was just part of that great television landscape of the 1980s.

And now, years later, I find myself thinking I actually want to go back and watch it. Not because I suddenly think it was underrated or because I feel nostalgic in a traditional sense, but because I want to understand what that whole package actually was. 

I want to see the acting, especially from Bob Uecker, who plays the father in the series, and understand how all of it worked together in context. It's kind of like I only ever experienced the “thumbnail” version of it.

And then there's 'In the Heat of the Night', which is almost the opposite emotional experience. That was something I actually did watch occasionally growing up, mostly because you watched what was on in a household where the remote control was not exactly a democratic instrument. Long Story Short.. if the parents were watching television, you pretty much had to watch what they were watching at that moment.

What stands out now about 'In the Heat of the Night' is not just the show itself, but the feeling of it. It was gritty in a way that modern television often smooths over. It did not always resolve things neatly. Sometimes there was no clean ending, no satisfying moral bow tied around the story. Sometimes things just happened. A case ended, but not emotionally. A situation was solved but not fully understood.

As a kid that can feel unsatisfying. As an adult it feels more like realism. Now I find myself strangely drawn to it again, especially because it is available to stream at any time, and on free TV, played on a 24 hour loop on its own dedicated free channel. There is something about being able to drop into that world instantly that changes the relationship entirely. It is no longer “a show that used to be on.” It becomes an environment you can enter whenever you want.

And part of what I am really drawn to is the era itself. The cars, the clothes, the way people talk, the pacing of scenes. It is not just entertainment. It is a preserved slice of time. It is almost like walking through a museum where everything still moves and speaks.

Another such example that really surprises myself is 'Baywatch Nights'.

Back when it was new.. I remember hearing about it and kind of rolling my eyes. It already had a reputation in my head without me ever watching it. It was a spin off of something massive, and the premise sounded like it was trying to stretch itself into something it obviously was not.

At the time I did not have any interest in it at all. But now there is a different kind of curiosity. Especially knowing how the show shifted in tone after ratings floundered. It eventually leaned into supernatural and strange storylines kind of like X-Files. 

That kind of behind the scenes evolution is interesting in a way it never would have been when I was younger. It is not just “is this good or bad.” It is “what were they trying to do here and how did it change over time.” That is a very different way of watching television than the way we consumed it originally.

So I keep coming back to this idea that something has changed in how we relate to old media. It is not just nostalgia. It is not just memory. It feels more like selective reconnection.

We are drawn to things we were adjacent to, rather than fully immersed in. We are drawn to cultural artifacts that existed around us but were never fully processed. And now, with everything available on demand, there is almost an instinct to go back and fill in those gaps.

There is also something comforting about it that I did not expect. Not comfort in the sense of “this reminds me of childhood,” but comfort in structure. Older shows just had a slower rhythm. They are not optimized for constant stimulation. They take their time. Even when things are tense, they breathe differently than modern television.

And maybe that is part of it too. In a world where everything feels fast and compressed, going back to something slower, even something slightly cheesy or uneven, can feel grounding.

But I think the deeper thing.. is this idea that we are not always revisiting what we loved. Sometimes we are revisiting what we barely noticed.

The shows we half watched. The theme songs we remember more clearly than the plots. The series we dismissed but still absorbed through cultural osmosis. And now, years later, we finally have the time, the access, and maybe even the perspective to actually see what was there. Not as kids. Not as background noise. But maybe as something we are ready to finally understand.

Why ‘Ned’s Declassified’ Was the Smartest Nickelodeon Show You Missed as a Kid”

After my mom passed away recently, creativity shut off for a while. It felt like someone flipped a breaker in my brain. Lately, though, it’s coming back, through memories of sitting on the couch with my kids, watching their shows.

For instance.. for years, I’d watch Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide with them and laugh harder than they did. 

They’d ask, “Dad, why are you laughing at kids stuff?”

I’d tell them: who do you think is writing your kids’ shows? People my age.

And that was exactly why Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide worked for me. It followed Ned Bigby, Moze, and Cookie navigating the chaos of junior high. Awkward crushes, cliques, and teachers who were part comedy, part legend, everything exaggerated but completely relatable.

Take 'Mr Monroe' the Home Ec teacher. Played by Jim J. Bullock basically a callback to his eighties sitcom days on Too Close for Comfort. My kids didn’t catch the reference, but I laughed every time hr made an appearance. Think of how 'Kramer' in Seinfeld suddenly shows up on the scene.  Comedy Gold.

Then there was the shop teacher, 'Mr Chopsaw'.. wild hair, slightly unhinged, and uncannily like my real junior high metal shop teacher with his wooden leg and unforgettable lessons. I swear to you I had a shop teacher that looked a lot like him. He even had a wooden leg. 

One time to prove a point to a rambunctious preteen, he jammed a short piece of metal or something like that into his wooden leg and left it there, to impress upon the kid just how dangerous the area was. That story floated around for decades.

What made Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide special was how it captured junior high perfectly. Not mocking kids, but showing the awkwardness, the trials, and the tiny victories. It broke the fourth wall, offered survival tips, and respected both kids and the adults who might be watching too.

Those couch nights weren’t just TV time. They shaped humor, timing, and storytelling in my kids, and reminded me how smart, funny, and enduring these shows really were. Now, in a world of TikTok clips and disposable humor, it stands out as clever, heart-filled, and pure Nickelodeon gold.

If you missed it back then, revisit it. You’ll see why it still makes us laugh decades later. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll catch jokes you missed the first time.

The Late-Night Hosts I Wish I Grew Up With: Big Chuck & Lil’ John from Ohio

Long before cable and satellite companies took over television, local TV networks ruled the airwaves. Outside of the twice-daily news broadcasts and the big prime-time shows from major networks, stations still had a ton of empty airtime to fill. And they got creative.

Some stations simply leaned on endless reruns. But many produced their own original programming like morning kids’ shows, mid-morning talk shows, and, the crown jewel for many of us, the late-night hosted monster-movie and B-movie programs. This is exactly the category Big Chuck and Lil’ John fit into.

The magic of Big Chuck and Lil’ John wasn’t just the movies they introduced. It was everything that happened around the movies. Right before and after the commercial breaks, the hosts really shined, riffing with each other, interacting with their small studio audience, and introducing the comedy skits they filmed ahead of time. The charm, the timing, the goofiness, it all blended into something uniquely local and unforgettable.

I started seeing Big Chuck & Lil' John clips on YouTube around 2010, but it wasn’t until the last three years that I really became an aficionado of their comedic genius. And honestly? I’m bitter I didn’t grow up on their show as a kid. This was the kind of television that built memories, entertained you, and formed your sense of humor.

If you grew up between the 1960s and the 1980s, you probably remember shows like this, local, weird, low-budget, and absolutely fantastic. Growing up in Colorado, we had the syndicated Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, but we also had a few homegrown late-night host shows. One I remember vividly was Night 9 with D2 Dave. D2 Dave was this geeky, likable host who ran the overnight studio amongst the station's broadcasting equipment, showing old sci-fi and B-movies every Saturday night.

To this day, I haven't been able to find a single mention of Night 9 with D2 Dave anywhere online. For all I know, this post might be the only piece of evidence that the show ever existed.

But as for Big Chuck and Lil’ John, you really can’t understand what made them special until you see them. Their chemistry, their sketches, the energy of the studio, it’s something that doesn’t translate unless you watch it for yourself.

So without further ado, here are some of the classic skits and clips that made this dynamic duo local TV legends…

An incredible classic show intro of theirs. It really gives you the feel of what's to come..

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A silly but smart skit that ends with a great breaking of the third wall..

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It was extremely hard for me to narrow that list to only three videos to share, because there are so many great ones over the decades. While Charles “Big Chuck” Schodowski (“Big Chuck”) and John “Lil’ John” Rinaldi continue to enjoy a strong following both locally in Ohio and across the nation, their last new regular episode aired on June 16, 2007. Big Chuck passed away on January 19, 2025 at age 90. Lil’ John is still active in the community, making appearances at Comic Cons and other events.

Yes, friends, I truly am bitter I didn’t get to enjoy this show during my formative years. I know it would have made a big impression on me in terms of comedic timing and humor. The fact that it certainly did for Drew Carey, who used the song “Moon Over Parma” from the show as his intro on The Drew Carey Show for a couple seasons, is a strong testament to its influence. To see the audience having a blast, interacting with Big Chuck and Lil’ John, and getting prizes for answering trivia captures the energy and fun that made this show so special. I would have loved to be part of one of those little live studio audiences.

Chuck’s passing truly marked the end of an era. Television has changed so much, and people no longer consume entertainment in the same way, which is a shame. The laughter, the creativity, and the joy this show brought were timeless. Big Chuck and Lil’ John reminded us how local TV could be personal, hilarious, and unforgettable. Their legacy lives on in the clips we can still watch today, and in the hearts of everyone who grew up laughing along with them. 

Do yourself a favor and do a deep dive on Big Chuck and Lil Jon skits on You tube. There's something there for everyone, and if you like silly punchy comedy, you won't be disappointed. It’s like stepping back in time, showing us how great TV could be when people actually tuned in to watch network television.

You can still watch old Big Chuck and Lil' John shows on FOX 8 WJW Cleveland on Sunday nights at 12:30 am. Visit the Big Chuck and Lil' John website for more info and places to watch the show!

10 Advertising Jingles That Still Live Rent-Free in My Head (and Probably Yours Too)

 

🎶 Top 10 Advertising Jingles That Live Rent-Free in My Head 

The other day I was driving around running errands, and I passed a Burger King. The first thing that popped into my head? That classic line:  🎵 BK.. Have it your way 🎵

And just like that, I was humming it before I even hit the next red light.

That’s when it hit me, there are certain people in advertising who are straight-up geniuses. I have a multitude of jingles from old TV and radio ads that will live permanently in my head, no matter how much I wish I could clear them out to free up some brain space.

There’s no particular order here, I’m just plucking them straight out of my data banks. Let’s go.

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1. The Big Mac Song (McDonald’s)

🎵 Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. 🎵
No shocker that this one’s first. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a huge McDonald’s fan, and this jingle is practically part of my DNA. I can’t even think of a Big Mac without this song firing up in my brain. Every few months, when it’s time for that Big Mac fix, the jingle comes right along for the ride.

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2. “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There”

🎵 Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. 🎵
Before Barry Manilow was filling arenas, he was writing jingles. This one’s easily one of the most famous. The wild part? He reportedly didn’t get royalties for it. Imagine if he got even a penny every time this played since it first hit the airwaves in 1971. He’d probably own an island by now.

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3. Roto-Rooter

🎵 Call Roto-Rooter, that’s the name, and away go troubles down the drain. 🎵
This one is pure simplicity and genius. It’s so direct and catchy that it actually makes plumbing sound cheerful. Something so cheery.. for something so disgusting. Whoever wrote it deserves a lifetime of free drain cleanings.

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4. Easy, Breezy, Beautiful — CoverGirl

🎵 Easy, breezy, beautiful… CoverGirl. 🎵
I get absolutely no joy knowing this one’s taking up space in my head, but there it is. It’ll pop up out of nowhere sometimes, and I’m immediately annoyed and impressed at the same time.

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5. Oscar Mayer Wiener Song

🎵 Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener, that is what I truly wish to be. 🎵
This one’s been around forever, and somehow manages to be both wholesome and slightly ridiculous. I can still picture the commercials from the ’70s and ’80s with kids singing it on picnic blankets.

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6. Kit Kat “Break” Song

🎵 Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. 🎵
If there’s a more contagious candy jingle in history, I haven’t found it. Everyone knows it, everyone hums it, and it’s impossible to stop once you start.

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7. Folgers Coffee

🎵 The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup. 🎵
There’s something comforting about this one. Even if you weren’t a coffee drinker, you knew that line. It’s basically the national anthem of early mornings.

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8. Meow Mix

🎵 Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow… 🎵
This one’s ridiculous in the best way. It’s literally just cats meowing, but it’s so effective that I could probably still sing it note-for-note today.

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9. Alka-Seltzer

🎵 Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is. 🎵
There’s something so cheerful about this one considering it’s about heartburn relief. The jingle alone almost made the product seem fun.

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10. Band-Aid Song

🎵 I am stuck on Band-Aid brand, ‘cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me. 🎵
Catchy, wholesome, and sung by kids in every version I can remember. It’s the perfect closer, the kind of jingle that burrows in your brain and refuses to leave.

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And there you have it, the 10 jingles that permanently live rent-free in my head. I know I’m forgetting more than a few (probably on purpose), but these are the heavy hitters.

Which ones get stuck in your head the most? Drop them in the comments. Maybe I’ll regret asking, but hey.. misery loves company.

Retro TV and Movie Dads with personalities us Gen-Xers know well

I'm one of those Gen-Xers fortunate enough to be a kid during the entire decade of the 70s and 80s. Now that I'm a father of three, I realize that most fathers I knew, were a bit more rigid and less emotionally available to their children back in the day.  A lot of Dads believed in exercising what some might call "tough love" and saw no use for warm and tender emotional displays.

Whether you agree with that type of parenting or not, you've got to admit that these types of fatherly characteristics can make for some unbelievably funny anecdotes, especially in television and movies. That being said, here are three retro TV Dads who remind me a lot of several fathers I knew back in the 70s and 80s.

Jack Arnold - The Wonder Years

This guy is the epitome of most 70s dads I knew. Hardened men that had either been to war, or worked unbelievably hard to squeak out a modest living. These were the kinds of dads that could strike the fear of God into you with a simple glance.

There were no entitlements with these types of working class dads, and it was their way or the highway. I'm not going to say that the boys back in this decade never got into trouble, but with fathers like this, a lot of us never got too far off of the straight and narrow path. Many of us kids didn't push the limits, for fear of what our fathers would do. 

This forty-six second clip will pretty much give you a feel of what a lot of conversations between father and son were like for me and a lot of my buddies back in the day..

The Old Man - "A Christmas Story"

Darren McGavin did an exceptional job portraying this character.  Ironically, now that I'm a father, I can see similarities between The Old Man and myself. We both get a wild look in our eye when mom is cooking a turkey, we both time ourselves to see how fast we can change a flat tire, and we both love seeing our kids squirm before bestowing the perfect gift upon them.

While he isn't as cold and guarded as Jack Arnold, he was still a stern father who was set in his ways. While it may have seemed that he lived to complain about the furnace, the Oldsmobile, and fuse box that were constantly on the fritz, he attacked problems full force. He was a resilient man who could tackle any obstacle that came his way. Still, on occasion you'd see him take off the 'Dad Hat' and do a little dance, get a little grabby with his bride, or offer his kid a sip of wine on Christmas Day. 

Ed Goodson - S#*! my Dad says

William Shatner played this old school Dad in this funny but incredibly short lived television series. Ed is a retired, cantankerous, 72 year old military physician, who's been divorced three times. He reminds me of many old school dads who shun technology like wireless internet, and still dig in their heels bucking against cable television and compact discs.

He's a throwback Dad with old fashioned views, who often blurts out politically incorrect statements and rants without notice. He shows more outward affection for his garden than to his sons, but makes gestures and does things for them that vaguely display his love for them. The poor guy is the product of an era where men were taught not to show emotion, which can actually be pretty funny in this day and age. I laugh when I watch this show, because I remember many of my friends Dad's and grandfathers "going off" like Ed on a regular basis. They didn't care if we would giggle or argue with them. In fact, they welcomed the banter. They were comfortable in their own skin and were unapologetically themselves 100% of the time.

Some of the snide remarks and observations Ed blurted out on the series, made my wife laugh out loud. She then turn to me and say "That sounds like something you'd say!"  What can I say? I'm a retro type of guy who was raised by an old school Baby Boomer.

Most of the working class Dads I was acquainted with, fit the bill of at least one, if not all three of these TV Dads. One thing is for sure, fathers can make for some interesting stories to share with friends, siblings, and family members. Heck, I'm sure my kids will be laughing about some of my retro quirks for many years to come.

The Dunkin' Donuts 'Time to make the Donuts' Guy

Another old article from the archives. Dusted off and updated for your viewing pleasure..

Many a morning I find myself uttering a phrase that has stuck with me since I was a kid in the early 80s. Before going to work, I often drag my weary body out of bed and simply utter.. "Time to make the Donuts".

I was a Dunkin' Donuts fan for most of my life. As a kid I often begged my folks to take me there to get "Munchkins" Donut Holes for breakfast. I made my Mom buy me Dunkin' Donuts Cereal when it came out, both in glazed and chocolate versions. Dunkin' Donuts was one of the first places where I became closely acquainted with, and succinctly started developing a taste for the intoxicating roasty dark nectar known as coffee.

Before I get too far however, maybe I should post a few of the old Dunkin' Donuts commercials for those of you who may be too young to remember the "Time to make the Donuts" Guy. The first commercial was named one of the best five commercials of the 80s by the Television Bureau of Advertising..

That endearing "Time to make the Donuts" guy became known as 'Fred the Baker'. Fred was played by actor Michael Vale who portrayed the character for 15 years from 1982 to 1997. What's more, he seemed to get better with time, his character becoming ever more funny and lovable with every new commercial. My family got to where we would crack up the second we saw his face on TV.

The only other actor that I can think of that successfully carried a brand for so long, was the original Lonely Maytag Repairman played by Jesse White. He held that role for 21 years from 1967 to 1988. 

Mind you.. Vale's career was not a fluke. He took acting classes with Tony Curtis and Ben Gazarra, had a wonderful career on the screen and stage, and starred in well over 1300 commercials! Here's Vale in a commercial for Black Flag Roach Motels, with another acting great Mary Jo Catlett, who became the face for Black Flag Products throughout the decade.

Michael Vale is sadly no longer with us, as he passed away in 2005 at the age of 83. After his passing, Dunkin' Donuts actually ran an "In Memory of" commercial dedicated to him. I haven't been able to find this commercial anywhere, but will make sure to post it here if I do.

The "Time to make the Donuts" tagline and all marketing that accompanied it was sheer genius. Some thirty years later after the first commercial, it's still deeply ingrained in American pop culture. It may even rival Wendy's "Where's the Beef" slogan as far as recognizable tag lines from the 80s go.

Apart from a great marketing promotion and endearing persona that Vale superbly embodied, it got me thinking as a young boy that someone had to get up in the middle of the night to make the donuts in order for them to be fresh and ready by morning. I was, and always will be a big fan of Michael Vale.  His legacy of 'Fred the Baker', is a credit to both comedic character acting and good donuts alike.

On a side note, my daughter can utter this classic Dunkin' catch phrase legitimately. She works in a bakery, and often gets up long before the sun rises to in fact, make the donuts.

Visit Dunkin Donuts Online

4 things that irritated & fascinated me about the TV western GUNSMOKE

I watch A LOT of old Gunsmoke episodes quite regularly. Recently, I've come to realize the things that irritated and fascinated me about Gunsmoke as a kid, still kind of resonate with me today. Here's just a few of them..

Where the Heck is Matt Dillon?
One-off episodes with guest actors like Carol O'Conner, Jan Michael Vincent, Victor French, Jodie Foster, and Mariette Hartley definitely packed a punch in regards to dramatic acting. However, I tuned in to watch the adventures of Matt Dillon first and foremost. There was stellar acting in the storylines that weren't focused on Marshall Matt Dillon, but they never brought as much joy to me as the Dillon based episodes did. 

It really perturbed me as boy, when I would watch an episode that only featured James Arness for a couple of measly minutes. While James Arness appeared in every single episode of Gunsmoke, it seemed like many an episode, especially towards the end of the series, had him appearing during the last five or ten minutes of the show. It was usually explained away by someone stating he was on the way back from official 'Marshalling business' and that he would be retuning soon. 

The comedic value of sidekicks Festus and Chester was always appreciated as well. The way these two characters interacted with Matt and Doc was comedy gold indeed. When this dynamic was also absent from an episode, it felt like something was truly missing.

New Fangled Color Television
I hated the color episodes as a kid, and I still prefer the black and white ones to this day. There was just something about filming in black and white that gave the Old West represented in the series, a more authentic feel. I remember thinking as a kid, "There's too much color, and everything looks too clean". I even pondered if such colored clothes and wallpaper even existed back in the late 1870s. Color TV also made it more evident that Dodge City was located on a sound stage. In addition to that, the scene shots, camera pans, and editing were much different in the 1970s versus the 50s and 60s. The older style of filming just gave the series a simpler, older, and grittier feel.

The end credit screen
I absolutely loved the black and white end credit screen. I would actually move very close to the television to examine it as closely as I could. I loved trying to count the tombstones on Boot-Hill, and would thoroughly examine everything like the old dead tree, the town buildings, and the night time sky. I would examine the artwork until the credits faded to a final splash screen, stating the show was produced by the 'Arness Company' in conjunction with CBS.

Original end credit screen

A superimposed showdown placed over the screen, later in the series.

Above is a 1970s end credit screen. This screen also kept me watching until the very end of the credits, as it made me feel like I was able to peek in on the world of the Marshall. Seeing things like Marshall Dillon's hat, weapons and old coffee pot, very much kept my attention. I remember telling myself as a young boy, the show was NOT over until the credits finished. 

It really seems like they tried much harder back in the day to keep folks around during the credits. Gunsmoke along with Bonanza in particular, kept my keister planted in front of the TV until the very final credit rolled. 

Ms. Kitty and Sam

Amanda Blake left Gunsmoke before the final season, some 19 years after playing the character of saloon proprietor Miss Kitty Russell. Glenn Strange played her stoic and faithful bartender Sam Noonan from 1961 to 1973. Strange sadly had to leave the show due to ailing health.

I must admit that as a boy watching the show, I never really appreciated these two characters as much as I do now. I do remember watching episodes filmed after they left, and seeing new characters in their places. I believe my exact words were.. "What a Jip".

I watch episodes today that are absent of their characters, and realize it truly affected the dynamic of the show. The life that Blake and Strange breathed into their respective roles, was a testament to their exceptional acting abilities.

Like I said at the start of this article.. I watch A LOT of Gunsmoke. These fleeting thoughts are just a few of many I've had over the years, so I'm sure I'll be sharing more of them in the future once they pile up in my mind again.

The Adventures of Pete and Pete theme song from Nickelodeon

I loved so much of the 90s programming on Nickelodeon, and the Adventures of Pete and Pete was no exception. The show's theme song 'Hey Sandy' by Polaris, is possibly one of the greatest TV show theme songs of the last 30 years. In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of another one that even comes close.

The recurring character Mr. Tastee and the shows theme song to me, have become synonymous with summer.  If you want to start feeling those same 90s summer vibes, just watch the 20-second video below..

Ahh, those memories of summer w/ Pete and Pete..

      

Yes, I am a child of the 70s, 80s, AND 90s

Shawn Robare, the author of one of my favorite retro themed websites.. Branded in the 80s touched upon a point in his most recent article, that I've been pondering on lately.  He talked about how even though he was a child of the 80s, there were a lot of things about the 1990s that felt very much like his experiences when he was younger.  This is exactly the way I feel for a few different reasons.  

I've used the tag line 'Child of the 70s, 80s and 90s' for myself on different social media platforms from time to time over the years.  I say this because I was born in 1970, so I experienced my childhood through both decades of the 70s and 80s.  My son was born in 1990, so I kind of never stopped enjoying a pop culture generated for kids.  I would buy him toys and action figures that we would play together with for hours on end.  I also watched cartoons and kids programming with him that in turn led us to go out and buy more toys geared towards those properties.  


To be honest, I could even push the envelope farther and say I was like a big kid for much of the 2000s! When the Star Wars prequels hit, my son became interested in that fandom, and it was like I was living my whole childhood over again (but this time with an expendable income).  When my daughters were born, I watched more cartoons and kids programming, and had a blast doing so with them.  Nickelodeon and Disney programming ruled our Television during that time for sure.


People I've known in the past, have thought it was kind of weird for me to know so much about the cartoons and shows that my kids watched.  Kids I work with are truly taken back that a guy their parents age, knows the pop culture from when they were young, backwards and forwards.  My bride asked me once, how can you stand watching all those kids shows?  I told her "Sure they are packaged for kids, but who do you think is writing them?  It's people around my age.  I can see through the fluff and simplicity to find the humor and entertainment value in it.  In some cases, the comedy really does speak to me".

Here's a short list of some shows I inadvertently got hooked on because of my kiddos:

• Batman the Animated Series
• Disney Afternoon Shows
• The Adventures of Pete and Pete
• Legends of the Hidden Temple
• Hey Arnold
• Doug
• Rugrats
• Eerie Indiana
• Are you Afraid of the Dark?
• Adventure Time
• Regular Show
• Drake & Josh
• Spongebob
• Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
• Teen Titans (Not Teen Titans GO)
• The Amazing World of Gumball

In turn, I also got my kids hooked on a few shows that I am a fan of..

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (My son is an absolute mega fan now)
• Disney's Zorro
• Jonny Quest
• Death Note (Anime)
• Svengoolie
• ANYTHING Star Wars related
• The Office
• Parks and Rec
• Curb your Enthusiasm

While I definitely have an affinity for the decades of the 80s, 90s, and 1st decade of the 2000s.. I feel like I'm pretty well versed in pop culture from the 60s to present day.  My friends always enjoyed having me on their bar trivia teams, to do cleanup when it came to arts and entertainment questions.  On occasion, they would praise me for my knowledge of random facts, and I'd just laugh and tell them I was born with a brain that was wired to collect and store useless information.  If there's something that entertains me or I geek out over, it gets locked away in the old memory banks.  If its something I have no use for, or detest.. I can easily wipe it from the hard drive, freeing up valuable space.

As a kid I lived a bit of a stressful childhood, but always felt at peace when I could play with my toys, enjoy my favorite television shows, or simply read a book.  A lot of people forget how to de-stress and reconnect with their inner child.  Stress isn't something that I can turn off like a switch, but the conduit for me to do so is definitely always there. I can usually easily get back to that childlike zen state, by doing things I love like collecting, writing, reading, biking, and several other hobbies I enjoy.

This blog has been a lifesaver during this pandemic, serving as a pressure release valve of sorts. I do however want to write more articles soon about my love of the recent past.  Keep an eye on this space if retro pop culture is your thing!

Lockdown Day 33 - Lazy-ish Day and an evening with Svengoolie

I love how my lazy days now, are more productive than my old days off when I would sit around and do nothing.  Yesterday after breakfast, My Bride and I actually went on a 2.5 mile bike ride.  When we got back home, the clouds started building, and it got super dark before it started raining.. making for a gloomy day.

I had every intent on trying to sit on the couch all day and simply watch TV which I have yet to do during this lockdown, but that didn't work out exactly the way I planned. I decided to start checking out channels on free antenna TV, and most were scrambled. I made my way up to the attic to try and adjust the antenna for a better signal.  I've been meaning to do this, as we're literally "cutting the cable" on our TV provider next week to try and save some money.

The Svengoolie Show. 26 years strong

Over the course of the next few hours, I probably went up and down the ladder to the attic about thirty times.  In the end, I remounted the antenna up high and repositioned it, pointing it towards the closest TV transmitters to us.  I was super psyched to see that I now get MeTV crystal clear now!  MeTV has all kinds of great broadcasting that focuses on classic television.  They show 5 of my top ten favorite TV Westerns, and more importantly, they broadcast Svengoolie every saturday night!

I did end up getting to relax an hour or so in the afternoon to watch 'Bonanza' and 'Wanted Dead or Alive'.  We opted for an easy dinner by just popping some Frozen Pizzas in the oven.  The Crispy Pan Pizza by DiGiorno once again didn't disappoint.  My son and I settled in at 8 p.m. to watch Svengoolie. He was showcasing the old flick 'Dracula's Daughter'.  Next week is 'The Attack of the 50 foot Woman'.  All in all a chill day, with a good workout to the calves from stair stepping.  Not much on track for today.  I'll just have to see where the day leads.  Take care friends, and see ya tomorrow..

10 retro advertising jingles permanently seared into my brain.

Like many others of my generation, there are a multitude of advertising slogans and jingles permanently burned into my 20th century brain.  I could go on for days about jingles I love, hate, or often recite.  However, I've decided to limit the list to my top ten favorites.  For better or worse.. here's a list of jingles that are floating around my brain, always ready to surface at any given moment.

• FOLGERS -The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup
  
  
• BRILL CREAM - A little Dab'll Do Ya!
  
  
• ROTO-ROOTER - Roto-Rooter, that's the name, and away go troubles down the drain.
  
  
• STATE FARM - Like a good neighbor.. State Farm is there.
  
  
• ALKA SELTZER - Plop Plop.. Fizz Fizz.. oh what a relief it is!
  
  
• McDONALD'S BIG MAC -
  Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.
  
  
• SLINKY -
  
  What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkity sound?
  A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing.. Everyone knows it's Slinky.
  It's Slinky.. it's Slinky.. For fun it's a wonderful toy.
  It's Slinky.. it's Slinky.. It's fun for a girl or a boy.
  It's fun for a girl or a boy.
  
  
• CHICKEN OF THE SEA - What's the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea!

• LUCKY CHARMS - Frosted Lucky Charms.. They're magically delicious!

• OSCAR MAYER -
  
  Oh I wish I were Oscar Mayer Wiener.
  That is what I'd truly like to be.
  'Cause if I were Oscar Mayer Wiener,
  Everyone would be in love with me.
  
  

Looking over this list has impressed upon me just how deeply these jingles have ingrained themselves into pop culture!  I can't even count how many times over the years that friends and I have used these jingles (or altered versions of them) as hilarious puns and punchlines.

It truly takes an extraordinary talent to come up with such catchy jingles.  In fact, many recording artists were jingle writers at one time. A lot of people have no clue that Barry Manilow had a very successful career writing jingles before hitting it big in the music industry.  What's more.. he's the one who wrote the jingle for State Farm which is still used to this very day!

I can't think of many jingles from the last decade that I have a fondness for.  Sure.. there are a lot of annoying  jingles, as well as rehashed 60's, 70's, and 80's music which have been used for branding popular products, but no real jingles that are as unique unto themselves like the ones listed above (In my humble opinion).

The Return of Kolchak the Night Stalker to the new X-Files series?

by Darrin Vindiola

This is Kolchak the Night Stalker..

Kolchak the Night Stalker was a television series that aired from 1974 to 1975. The show focused on a Chicago newspaper reporter (Carl Kolchak) played by Darren McGavin from "A Christmas Story" fame.

Kolchak investigated strange and unsolved crimes.  Particularly those that law enforcement would not follow up on.  In many cases, the crimes had to do with supernatural elements that involved the occult, werewolves, witches, etc.  It was a great show, and scared the living crap out of me as an eight year old boy watching it in syndication.  The series is now a cult classic, spawned a new series in 2005, and has inspired several comic books and novels.


Fast forward to 2016, and the special six episode revival of the X-Files.  Myself along with many other eagle eyed fans observed the following in the upcoming preview for next week's X-Files episode..

I mean come on.. this has got to be Kolchak right?  Taking to social media, I found a legion of Kolchak and X-Files enthusiasts that have the same thoughts.  I've even learned that the creator of the X-Files Chris Carter originally wanted to feature Kolchak on a few episodes in the original series, but McGavin had no desire to reprise his role.  

In retrospect, I can see how Kolchak the Night Stalker was a big inspiration for the X-Files, and Chris Carter has indeed acknowledged that it greatly influenced its creation.  I guess I'll have to wait until Monday, February 1st to see for sure, but I am already expecting to see good old Carl Kolchak to be getting himself into trouble once again.

Now.. if Carter would only bring back "The Lone Gunmen"  Myself and countless other X-Files fans will be some happy campers!!

!!UPDATE!!
2-10-2016

Well, It's been a week now, so I think this is spoiler safe.  Sadly, the character in this episode was not the beloved Kolchak.  The character was a creature that could transform from a reptilian creature to human. The clothes he sported were ones he took from a serial killers victim at the scene of a crime. The reptilian was innocent, and was a very loveable and funny character. The episode had a great comedic element to it, and was very fun to watch.

It does make one wonder however, was Kolchak snooping around the crime scene when he in turn met an untimely demise? One thing is for sure, I along with other Kolchak fans will always have a sneaking suspicion that this whole thing was at the very least, a nod to Kolchak the Night Stalker.

Interesting facts about various retro advertising icons

The Michelin Man

Most people know of this beloved icon simply as The Michelin Man.  However, he is in fact named Bibendum, or "Bib" for short.  The Latin word Bibendum means to drink, or drinking to be done.  Some of the very old advertising campaigns featured Bib holding a drinking glass filled with sharp items that could normally destroy a car tire.  The connection and subsequently Michelin's motto, was that Michelin tires could drink up road obstacles.

The Pilsbury Doughboy

The Pillsbury Doughboy actually has a name, and it's Poppin' Fresh.  And.. he's not the only one of his kind.  In his early days, he had a wife named Poppie Fresh, a child named Baby Bun Bun, grandparents named Grandmommer, and Grandpopper, and a puppy named Flapjack!!  All characters were available in vinyl toy form, and you can occasionally find whole sets of the Poppin' Fresh family for sale on ebay.

Mr. Clean

 Mr. Clean was created in 1958.  In 1962 during a company promotion to give Mr. Clean a first name, he was donned the first name "Veritably".  While many believe Mr. Clean to be a genie, he was actually modeled after a United States sailor.

The Jolly Green Giant

The Jolly Green Giant has been around since 1928, and was originally conceived to promote the companies variety of unusually large peas that they sold.  When The Jolly Green Giant started appearing in commercials, he was deemed as too scary and menacing, especially when he walked.  This is why you see the giant simply standing in the valley with his arms crossed, and uttering nothing else but his jolly "Ho Ho Ho".

Charlie Tuna

I used to love the StarKist tuna commercials, but always thought it was kind of morbid that Charlie's dream was to be caught by a fisherman so he could in essence be "processed" and sold as StarKist tuna!  There was a rumor floating around for years that Charlie Tuna's likeness was created by actor James Dean, several years before the StarKist company started using Charlie at their mascot.  It stemmed from one of James Dean's friends stating he was with him one night in a Los Angeles diner when Dean sketched out Charlie. This claim has been shunned by both the StarKist company and Tom Rogers, the artist who created Charlie.  Furthermore, no real evidence has ever been found to truly support the claim.

Thrift Store VHS finds

It wasn't very long ago that VHS tapes were capitalizing space in my closets, boxes, drawers, cabinets, and now.. they're all but obsolete.  Here's a few I saw the other day at the thrift store that made me stop to take a second look..

I so wanted to pick this set up and take it home with me.  However, I no longer have a means of playing them, and haven't for quite some time.  I do have a few of these on DVD, but the lineup isn't as impressive as this one.

STAR TREK Boxed set

It looks like someone got some good use out of this set.  I know I sure watched the heck out of all my old STAR TREK video cassettes over the years.

 STAR TREK the Next Generation TV Series

Why did they ever have to try and improve upon VHS cassettes?  Oh yeah I remember..  look at the flippin' real estate these things ate up!   I remember when Columbia House Video was offering this set for purchase, and it was not cheap.  It's kind of sad that back in the day someone spent some serious money on this set, and now you can't hardly give the things away.

I really must obtain a VHS player soon, even if it's just for use in my garage.  I'd love to be able to throw in an old monster movie or sci-fi flick to have playing in the background as I'm working on my bicycles, or a "Honey Do" list.   There's no shortage of cheap video cassette's laying around at garage sales, thrift stores, and flea markets, so I'm thinking I can pick up a player and a whole gaggle of movies for well under $20.00.  We'll see.. 

Forgotten Folk's - Willie Tyler and Lester

I remember seeing Willie and Lester on television a lot when I was a kid.  Willie Tyler was and still is an incredibly skilled ventriloquist, and his comedy acts with his partner/dummy Lester were always funny.  I remember Willie and Lester popping up on various sitcoms throughout the 70's, 80's, and 90's, such as Laugh In, Sanford and Son, What's Happening, and tons of commercials.



They were an act people truly loved seeing, and spontaneous laughter & applause would usually ensue whenever they'd make an appearance.

If you're a bit hazy on this comedy act, here are a few clips that may jog your memory.  If nothing else, they will give you a good feel for Willie and Lester's shtick..

If you're wondering, Willie and Lester are both alive and well. You can see what's new with them at their website... Willie and Lester.com

Some products I had no clue still existed..

I came across these products the other day while shopping.  They seemed to jump right off the shelf at me, mainly because I had no idea they were still available for purchase..

GOO GONE
I've used a lot of this stuff over the years.  Whether its gum stuck to your shoes or carpet, adhesive from price stickers, tar, grease, crayon, tape, etc., this stuff works great!

No harsh odor, and even a little bottle lasts for years!  I promise you this isn't a promo for the stuff.. I just really love the product!

Remember Ty-D Bol?  Or better yet.. remember their spokesperson The Ty-D Bowl Man?!?  He was the little fella in a boat that would cruise around your toilet to pedal this product.  I know, I know.. some of you kids don't believe me.  Well check this commercial out..

JOLT COLA

While it doesn't appear to even be a shadow of its former self.. JOLT cola is still being produced, albeit in energy drink form.



The JOLT cola of my day was a simple drink with the simple slogan..  "All the sugar and twice the caffeine."   I can't even begin to count how many six packs of this stuff I downed as a teenager.  Most parents back then despised the product, which of course made it that much cooler to drink!  I'm sure the buzz we attained from drinking it was no match for today's energy drinks, but it was enough for us back in the 80's, and sure got the job done!

I wanted to buy this stuff for my dog so bad as a kid, however.. my mom believed that Gaines Burgers were the best food for a dog.  I remember the commercials clearly.. they touted their product as having gravy that dogs would love. Heck.. who wouldn't want their dog to enjoy their meals more?



I leave you with this commercial made to tug at your heart strings, so as to coax you to feed Fido some gravy laden chunks of beef..