THE NEW LAUREL & HARDY BLU-RAY!

FROM AMAZON:

A world premiere for all the Laurel and Hardy fans!

Deluxe 2-disc Blu-ray Edition

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy first appeared on film together in 1921, after an initial period in their careers spent apart. The two would formally team up in 1927 and found success by following a simple comic formula that displayed the hilariously ambitious and anarchic qualities of their joint personality. Laurel & Hardy: Year One, The Newly Restored 1927 Silents, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley and Blackhawk Films, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to observe the evolving partnership of the slapstick comedy team that would reach enormous popularity. Featuring all new restorations sourced from

best available materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world restored by Blackhawk Films and Lobster Films in Paris, this comprehensive deluxe Blu-ray 2-disc collection features thirteen extant films produced in 1927 and two additional films from before they were officially a team.

It includes new scores from some of the best silent film composers working today, such as Neil Brand, Antonio Coppola, Eric le Guen, and Donald Sosin. Arthur Stanley Jefferson for a time understudied Chaplin in England and the US, meanwhile Oliver Norvell Hardy was a talented actor in comedies and melodramas, yet neither had reached the status of movie star.

It became clear upon their merging together that their contradictory physiques and personalities complimented each other perfectly. The team would go on to produce numerous projects together that reached wide acclaim, eventually becoming nearly unanimously considered by film critics, scholars, and movie fans alike, the funniest comedy duo in film history.

THE HUCKLEBERRY HOUND SHOW!

On this day in 1958, The Huckleberry Hound Show premiered in syndication! It's what put Hanna Barbera on the map creating characters we all know and love like Yogi Bear, Hokey Wolf, Pixie & Dixie & Mr. Jinx, and of course Huckleberry Hound lasting 3 seasons ending in 1961. 

I remember the excitement and anticipation at the news of  The Huckleberry Hound Show premiering back in 1958. I was 7 years old when I first saw the inimitable Huck Hound coming out of the circus door after the Kellogg's rooster knocked.  The cartoons were quite different from all the others I had seen up until then, when the regular cartoon TV fare consisted of full animation cartoons from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. To me, the look, design, stories, music and overall atmosphere was something else and I became hooked watching every cartoon show churned out by the Hanna-Barbera animation factory.  Up until Jonny Quest started the downhill fall into formulaic, unfunny shows and non descript characters, that is.

Ah, but the Huckleberry Hound Show was something else! My childhood was so much happier with this

old hound and his pals coming at my screen every week! Delightful memories I will always treasure!

With Wee Willie.

The complete Season One of The Huckleberry Hound Show was released on a DVD set several years ago but the Second and Third Seasons are yet to see the light of day! Why? Big mystery that probably has to do with copyright holders and, um, like that type of things, yuh know.

RIP ILLYA KURYAKIN

                                      SAD NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT - 

David McCallum, who starred as Illya Kuryakin alongside Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo in the 1960s hit spy drama “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and had a supporting role as pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the top-rated series “NCIS” decades later, died Monday of natural causes in New York City. He was 90.

                                                  As Ashley-Pitt in THE GREAT ESCAPE

                                                                       Ducky Mallard in NCIS

As Illya Kuryakin with Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo in

                                                         THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

He was in THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD as Judas Iscariot, THE GREAT ESCAPE, SOL MADRID, AROUND THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA, TV's The Invisible Man, Sapphire & Steel TV series, NCIS as Ducky Mallard and many other distinguished roles, but he will always be Illya Kuryakin to me!  - RIP David McCallum -

                          Listen to Hugo Montenegro's recording of the song ILLYA, from the

                                 1965 LP Original Music From The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

                     

The GET SMART comic books!

 On September 18 in 1965, TV comedy GET SMART created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and starring Don Adams as agent Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and Edward Platt as The Chief premiered.Get Smart immediately won over audiences with its witty satire of the secret agent genre. Starring Don Adams as bumbling spy Maxwell Smart, aka Agent 86, and Barbara Feldon as his brilliant partner Agent 99, Get Smart followed their laugh-out-loud misadventures as they battled the evil forces of KAOS. Created by comedy legends Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart was an instant hit thanks to its slapstick humor, clever spy parodies, catchphrases like “Missed it by that much!”, and gadgets like the famous shoe phone. For 5 seasons, Get Smart kept viewers in hysterics every week with Agent 86’s hilarious attempts at espionage, close calls with danger, and comical interactions with The Chief (Edward Platt). Now over 50 years later, Get Smart remains one of the most beloved and iconic sitcoms of all time. Its legacy lives on through syndicated reruns and an enduring comedic influence still felt today. 

In 1966, GET SMART was published as a comic book by Dell Publishing Co. 

These are the covers plus an ad for Aurora Model Motoring cars 

which appeared on the back cover of several other issues as well.

First Day of School!

Summertime is over and a new School Year begins for my two grandchildren in Hoboken! 

That's the cycle of life!

EMILIANO'S 12th BIRTHDAY!

 

Grandson Emiliano is now celebrating his 12th birthday and I wish him all the best in the world! May all your dreams come true, Emi! Love you! 💖👏👏👏

Emiliano - September 6, 2023