Sammy Davis Jr. – Six Bridges To Cross
Jeff Chandler - late 1940's
photographer unknown
Showing posts with label Jr.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jr.. Show all posts
October 18, 2021
July 22, 2021
Harold “Slim” Jenkins ~ the "Mayor" of West Oakland
Today is the birthday of Harold “Slim” Jenkins who was born on July 22, 1890, in Monroe, Louisiana, and moved to Oakland shortly after World War I,
where he found work as a waiter. He was a successful businessman,
owning and operating several West Oakland restaurants, liquor stores,
and night clubs which earned him the title of the "Mayor" of West
Oakland and whose Slim Jenkins Cafe was popular in that area from the
1930s to the 1960s.
Jenkins opened his club at 1748 - 7th Street in West Oakland on December 5, 1933, the day Prohibition was repealed with the passage of the 21st Amendment.
E. F. Joseph Photograph Collection
photo: African American Museum &
Library at Oakland
dare & photographer unknown
dare & photographer unknown
For
many years, it was the premiere nightclub in Oakland and called the
"Harlem of the West". From the thirties and into the
forties, the
Club featured many musicians including Bob Lewis (bass), Jimmy Buchanan
(sax), Earl Watkins (drums), Eric Miller (guitar), Commodore Lark
(bass) and Norvell Randall (piano).
photos: African American Museum and Library at Oakland
Buchanan, Watkins, Randall, Miller & Lark
date & photographer unknown
Miller, Lewis and Randall
date & photographer unknown
Miller, Lewis and Randall
date & photographer unknown
saxophone players
date & photographer unknown
In the fifties and sixties it featured black musical icons such as Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, the Ink Spots, Earl Hines, Louis Jordan, Linda Hopkins, Dinah Washington performing for the racially mixed middle class audience. President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Slims, and William Knowland, publisher of the Oakland Tribune, was a frequent customer at the supper club.
Harold “Slim” Jenkins was a charter member of the Port of Oakland Community Club, and a member of the Men of Tomorrow, the Oakland Chapter of the NAACP and the Boys Club of Oakland. He was also active in a number of social and civic organizations.
French photographer Michelle Vignes shot many of the musicians performing in the West Oakland night clubs in the sixties and published, The Blues (link below), a book of those and other amazing images of America, which was published by artist/photographer, Lon Clark, Jr. (link below).
The Seventh Street district was forever altered during the 1960s when the United States Postal Service
demolished twelve blocks of property to erect a new postal facility and
even more was destroyed in the 1970s, through eminent domain, with the arrival of BART, Oakland’s public transit system.
It is interesting that after destroying a whole way of life and culture; the directors of BART
renamed the West Oakland station, Oakland West (to make it sound more
aristocratic or high-toned, maybe?) This raised the hackles of Oakland
residents who protested the name, created a furor and the signs on the
station were changed back to West Oakland.
After the Slim Jenkins Cafe in West Oakland was razed in 1962, Jenkins opened Slim Jenkins Cafe
at 310 Broadway, also in Oakland, which he ran until his death in 1967.
Viewfinder links:
Michelle Vignes ~ The Blues
Net links:
African American Museum at Oakland ~ Collection
Black Past ~ Harold “Slim” Jenkins
Calisphire ~ Slim Jenkins Cafe patrons
Geoffreys Live ~ Slim Jenkins, Oakland Black Entrepreneur
Local News Matters ~ ‘Harlem of the West’
Styrous® ~ Thursday, July 22, 2021
February 11, 2021
45 RPMs 56: Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~ Monster Mash
photos by Styrous®
Today is the birthday of the "Monster Mash Man", Bobby (Boris) Pickett, who was an American singer, songwriter, actor and comedian known for co-writing and performing the 1962 novelty song hit, Monster Mash.
I remember dancing to Monster Mash in my early twenties with total joyful abandon! I LOVED this song!
Monster Mash came out in the midst of the "Mashed Potato" dance craze. The dance move and mashed potato song were first made famous by James Brown in 1959 and used in his concerts regularly. It was also danced to songs such as Mashed Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp. The move vaguely resembles that of the twist, by Chubby Checker but is more like a slow version of The Pony, also recorded by Checker. There are videos of the dance moves on YouTube (links below). The Mashed Potato was first popularized internationally after being named in the lyrics of the first Motown mega-hit in the song Do You Love Me written by Berry Gordy, Jr. and performed by The Contours in 1962.
45 RPM record sleeve front
Monster Mash is narrated by a mad scientist whose monster rises from his lab to perform a new dance, inspired by the Mashed Potato.
The dance becomes "the hit of the land" when the scientist throws a
party for other monsters, among them classic 1940s horror film icons
such as the Wolfman, Igor, Count Dracula and his son. In addition to narrating the song in a Boris Karloff voice, Pickett also impersonated horror film actor Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula with the line, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?" The mad scientist explains that the twist has been
replaced by the Monster Mash, which Dracula embraces by joining the
house band, the Crypt-Kicker Five. The story closes with the mad
scientist inviting "you, the living" to the party at his castle.
45 RPM record sleeve front
In 1985, with a growing awareness of rap music,
Pickett released Monster Rap, which describes the mad scientist's
frustration at being unable to teach the dancing monster from Monster Mash how to talk. The problem is solved when he teaches the monster to rap.
In 1964 the Beach Boys did a cover of Monster Mash; in 1980 Sha Na Na did a cover and Bad Manners did a faster version of the song. In 1997, the horror punk band, the Misfits, recorded a cover version of Monster Mash as part of a promotion. And in 2016, it was turned into a string quartet by, who else, The Midnight String Quartet.
In 1977 Vincent Price covered the song and used footage from the film, The Monster Club and included dancers from Pan's People; it's a hoot to watch (link below)!
Monster Mash video still
I came across a photo of Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester dancing to records on the set of the 1935 film, The Bride Of Frankenstein. They could very easily have been dancing to Monster Mash.
The Bride Of Frankenstein - 1935
photographer unknown
Pickett co-wrote Monster Mash with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962. The song was a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato, which inspired the title. The song featured Pickett's impersonations of veteran horror stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (the latter with the line "Whatever happened to my Transylvanian Twist?"). Every major record label declined the song, but after hearing it, Gary S. Paxton agreed to produce and engineer it; among the musicians who played on it were pianist Leon Russell and The Ventures drummer Mel Taylor. Issued on Paxton's Garpax Records, the single became a million seller. It was styled as being by "Bobby 'Boris' Pickett And The
Crypt-Kickers".
The song took no time at all to create. "The song wrote itself in a half hour and it took less than a half hour to record it," Pickett told The Washington Post.
Bobby (Boris) Pickett - October 31, 1987
photo by Robert Gabriel/LA Times
Monster Mash reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks before Halloween in 1962. The track re-entered the U.S. charts twice, in August
1970, and again in May 1973, when it reached the #10 spot. In Britain it took until October 1973 for the tune to become popular, peaking at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. For the second time, the record sold over one million copies. The tune remains a Halloween perennial on radio and on iTunes. A Christmas-themed
follow-up, Monster's Holiday, (b/w Monster Motion) was also
released in 1962 and reached number 30 in December that year. Blood
Bank Blues (b/w Me and My Mummy) did not chart. This was followed by
further monster-themed recordings such as the album The Original Monster Mash
and such singles as Werewolf Watusi and The Monster Swim. In 1973,
Pickett rerecorded Me and My Mummy for a Metromedia 45 (it did not
chart). Another of Pickett's songs, Graduation Day, made number 80 in
June 1963.
Pickett was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1938. His father was a theater manager and as a nine-year-old, he watched
many horror films. He would later incorporate impressions of them in his
Hollywood nightclub
act in 1959. An aspiring actor, Pickett began his musical career as a
vocalist for a local swing band, Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters. Pickett went to Hollywood, where he performed in a band called The Cordials and would, from time to time, break into impersonations of famous movie actors. His impersonation of Frankenstein actor Boris Karloff was reportedly a major hit with audiences—and a turning point for Pickett's career. That audience response set the events that would lead to Monster Mash in motion during the summer of 1962. Cheesy monster movies were all the rage, and bandmate Lenny Capizzi encouraged Pickett to use his Karloff voice to mock them in a new novelty song.
Originally, Pickett wasn’t keen – the goofy idea didn’t align with his ambitions to become a serious actor. A fortnight later, he reconsidered after the death of his acting agent.
Pickett had small acting roles in television shows, including The Beverly Hillbillies (as a lieutenant) in 1967, Bonanza in 1969, and in a little-seen film called Deathmaster—about a vampire who lures in a devout following of hippies—in 1972.
movie poster
On April 25, 2007, Bobby (Boris) Pickett died in Los Angeles, California, from leukemia at the age of 69. The May 13, 2007, episode of the Dr. Demento show featured a documentary retrospective of Pickett's work.
45 RPM record, side 1
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A Monster Mash, written by B. Pickett*, L. Capizzi* - 2:57
Side 2:
B Monsters' Mash Party, written by B. Pickett*, G. Paxton* - 2:45
Companies, etc.
Side 1:
A Monster Mash, written by B. Pickett*, L. Capizzi* - 2:57
Side 2:
B Monsters' Mash Party, written by B. Pickett*, G. Paxton* - 2:45
Companies, etc.
Published By – Garpax Music Co.
Published By – Capizzi Music
Published By – Underwood Music Co.
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Bridgeport
Published By – Capizzi Music
Published By – Underwood Music Co.
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Bridgeport
Credits:
Arranged By, Producer – Gary Paxton
Notes:
Label variation: Garpax is printed smaller than the other version.
This pressing shows no plant stamp in runouts.
Side A: Pub: Garpax Music Co. - Capizzi Music - BMI
Side B: Pub: Garpax Music Co. - Underwood Music Co. - BMI
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Pressing Plant ID (Etched in runout area): .
Rights Society: BMI
Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): GP 44167-A
Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): GP 44167-B
Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, Etched (Variant 1)): GP44167A-1B
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, Etched (Variant 1)): GP44167B-1A
Matrix / Runout (A-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)): GP44167A-1A
Matrix / Runout (B-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)): . GP-44167-B . '
Rights Society: BMI
Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): GP 44167-A
Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): GP 44167-B
Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, Etched (Variant 1)): GP44167A-1B
Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, Etched (Variant 1)): GP44167B-1A
Matrix / Runout (A-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)): GP44167A-1A
Matrix / Runout (B-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)): . GP-44167-B . '
Bobby (Boris) Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers – Monster Mash
Label: Garpax Records – 45-44167
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Styrene, Bridgeport Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1962
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Rock & Roll, Pop Rock, Novelty
Label: Garpax Records – 45-44167
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Styrene, Bridgeport Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1962
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Rock & Roll, Pop Rock, Novelty
Viewfinder links:
Do You Remember ~ Monster Mash: 55 Years Later
Mental Floss ~ Bobby Pickett, The Man Behind Monster Mash
YouTube links:
Music:
The Beach Boys ~ Monster Mash (live)
Chubby Checker -
Pony Time (live)
The Twist (live)
The Contours ~ Do You Love Me (live)
Midnight String Quartet ~ Monster Mash
Monster Mash (live)
Vincent Price ~ Monster Mash
Sha Na Na ~ Monster Mash
Dee Dee Sharp -
Mashed Potato Time (live)
Misc.:
Rue Morgue ~ The Hippies Vampires of Deathmaster (1972)
Styrous® ~ Thursday, February 11, 2021
November 28, 2020
September 29, 2018
Tales of Tomorrow & Sergei Prokofiev
In the early fifties my family bought a TV from Montgomery Wards and I remember watching television on Guy Place.
The living room would be jammed with the whole family, mom, Lucy, Ben, etc (links below). The adults would have the couch and chairs while us kids would sit on the floor. I was VERY near-sighted so I would sit directly under the TV which had a 16-inch screen; this was eNORmous for that time.
Guy Place, San Francisco, California
The living room would be jammed with the whole family, mom, Lucy, Ben, etc (links below). The adults would have the couch and chairs while us kids would sit on the floor. I was VERY near-sighted so I would sit directly under the TV which had a 16-inch screen; this was eNORmous for that time.
1950-1959 Airline (Wards)
(05WG-3039C) 16" console
I have terrific memories of the shows we watched: I Love Lucy (of course), The Twilight Zone, etc. But my VERY first memory of watching was, Tales of Tomorrow.
This show is forever burned in my memory.
I recall the intro theme for the show vividly! It would raise the hairs on the back of my neck and what few hairs I had on my arms; it was years before I discovered who the composer was.
The theme music was written by the Russian composer, Sergei Prokofiev, for his 1938 ballet in four acts, Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64. The very short piece of music opens the segment, Montagues And Capulets (links below).
I recall the intro theme for the show vividly! It would raise the hairs on the back of my neck and what few hairs I had on my arms; it was years before I discovered who the composer was.
The theme music was written by the Russian composer, Sergei Prokofiev, for his 1938 ballet in four acts, Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64. The very short piece of music opens the segment, Montagues And Capulets (links below).
Tales of Tomorrow was an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live, mistakes and all as hysterically related by lighting designer, Imero Fiorentino (link below). It had a cheesy electronic organ accompaniment at times (common for the period). It was aired on the ABC network from 1951 to 1953.
The series covered stories such as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many other stories featuring a fantastic array of performers: Boris Karloff, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Veronica Lake, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Nielsen, Paul Newman and many others (complete list @ link below).
Tales of Tomorrow had many similarities to the later Twilight Zone which also covered one of the same stories (What You Need). In total it ran for eighty-five 30-minute episodes. It was called “the best science-fiction fare on TV today” by Paul Fairman, editor of If.
The series covered stories such as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many other stories featuring a fantastic array of performers: Boris Karloff, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Veronica Lake, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Nielsen, Paul Newman and many others (complete list @ link below).
Tales of Tomorrow had many similarities to the later Twilight Zone which also covered one of the same stories (What You Need). In total it ran for eighty-five 30-minute episodes. It was called “the best science-fiction fare on TV today” by Paul Fairman, editor of If.
If magazine
The idea for this science fiction television series was developed by Theodore Sturgeon and Mort Abrahamson, together with the membership of the Science Fiction League of America. The original title was planned as Tomorrow is Yours.
A deal was struck with photographer Richard Gordon and writer George Foley, giving the
producers of the show first choice of any of the 2,000 short stories and
13 novels by the various members of the League.
Tales of Tomorrow was the first dramatized showcase for several authors, Arthur C. Clarke; etc. Other early science fiction writers whose work was reflected in the series included Fredric Brown (The Last Man on Earth and Age of Peril), Philip Wylie (Blunder) who with Edwin Balmer wrote When Worlds Collide, C. M. Kornbluth (The Little Black Bag) and Stanley G. Weinbaum
(The Miraculous Serum). The show was intended for adults; at the
time, most science fiction productions were targeted to children. The
producers wanted to blend mystery and science fiction, and emphasize
fast pacing and suspense.
Tales of Tomorrow episodes, with ads included, were recorded on Kinescope which can be seen on YouTube (links below).
Tales of Tomorrow episodes, with ads included, were recorded on Kinescope which can be seen on YouTube (links below).
Viewfinder links:
Sergei Prokofiev
Bernard E. Simonson, Jr.
Christine K. Simonson
Lucy Cadena-Jazzux
Television
The Twilight Zone
Net links:
IMDb ~ full cast & writing credits
Academy of Television ~ Lighting Director Imero Fiorentino interview
Sci-Fi Wire ~ Remembering the first sci-fi anthology series
YouTube links:
Tales of Tomorrow
~ intro theme music
Sergei Prokofiev ~ Romeo And Juliet - Montagues And Capulets
~ The Crystal Egg ( H.G. Wells )
~ What you need (1952)
Tales of Tomorrow episodes
"Stuff happens!"
~ Imero Fiorentino
To the family and especially Lucy!
Styrous® ~ Saturday, September 29, 2018
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