THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Being October the Halloween dominated month, I'm posting a few of my favorite Halloween-themed things!
First off, here's a big Trick-or-Treat type of entertainment: Charles Addams' comic creation: THE ADDAMS FAMILY, which has undergone many versions, reboots and transformations.

                                                                                                                                                                               

My favorite, (after the original series published in the pages of the NEW YORKER magazine, from 1938 to 1988, the year of Charles Addams' death), is the 1964 TV series starring Carolyn Jones and John Astin which featured Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester and Ted Cassidy as Lurch.

There were several other versions, including an animated series in 1973 and a computer-animated film in 2019...but none of those could capture the zaniness and surreal humor of the original series.

Anyway, here we have some memories from the many Addams Families!

 

THE ADDAMS FAMILY THEME SONG

Vic Mizzy

They're creepy and they're kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They're altogether ooky,
The Addams Family.

Their house is a museum
When people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams Family.

[snap twice]
(Neat)
[snap twice]
(Sweet)
[snap twice]
(Petite)

So get a witch's shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams Family.

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/theaddamsfamilylyrics.html

DIRTY HARRY'S BIRTHDAY!

Clint Eastwood was born May 31, 1930.

I must confess I never saw the celebrated TV show RAWHIDE, where Clint Eastwood became well-known; however,  I did read the Dell and Gold Key comics published around 1963, and had heard the fantastic theme song, expertly rendered by Frankie Laine.  But I missed the show's first run and I never could find it in syndication.

But my first encounter with the immortal Clint came with his first spaghetti western: A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and its subsequent sequels, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. The latter's main theme has been imbedded in my brain forever.

And since then, I jumped on the CLINT bandwagon never to get off!
The list of classic Clint Eatwood films is quite long. It's not necessary to repeat them here.
Suffice it to say, Mr. Eastwood has a very special place in movie history and no actor has yet come to replace him.

Long Live Dirty Harry!

Mort Drucker captured him beautifully in his MAD magazine parody of Dirty Harry:

His last film to date was 2018's THE MULE which earned $171.3 million at the box office, proving that no matter how old and ancient Clint may be, he still has a strong hold over his audience!

Today, my plan is to sit down and watch some of my favorite Clint Eastwood films, in honor of this great and everlasting movie icon!

Clint Eastwood: "Make my day!"

SOUND ADVICE:

DAVID JANSSEN (1931-1980)

David Janssen was an American actor who became world-famous when he starred in the TV series THE FUGITIVE (1963-67). He was also the star of three other TV series: Richard Diamond, Private Eye (1957-60), O'Hara U.S. Treasury (1971-72) and Harry-O (1974-76).
He appeared in several hit films: The Green Berets (1968), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Marooned (1969), Macho Callahan (1970) and Once Is Not Enough (1975).
While Janssen appeared in many TV series, Made-For-TV films and big screen motion pictures, he will always be remembered as Dr. Richard Kimble, the man wrongly accused of killing his wife. The story of Dr. Kimble and his pursuit of the one-armed man he saw running away from the crime scene, captured the imagination and interest of millions of viewers in the 1960s.
The final two-part episode, held the record for the highest number of viewers in August 1967,  at 75%, who tuned in to watch Kimble catch the real killer and thus, prove his innocence.
Janssen was one of my favorite TV stars and I was deeply saddened when he died at the very early age of 48, from a massive heart attack on February 13, 1980.
The Fugitive is still available on DVD and Janssen continues to thrill viewers with his desperate quest of clearing his name, running all over the United States and trying to escape the relentless pursuit of Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse).

 

                             

 

Statler and Waldorf, Two Joyful Curmudgeons!

 Statler and Waldorf were a pair of Muppet characters known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. These two elderly men first appeared in THE MUPPET SHOW in 1975, where they consistently jeered the entirety of the cast and their performances from their balcony seats.
I remember I enjoyed their sarcastic insults and grumpy demeanor back then, but it is until now, more than 40 years later, that I truly appreciate and understand the deep truth within their personalities.
Yes, as you get older, you may not get wiser but you sure are far more critical of others and you become an acid critic of every subject you dare to tackle.  I know this because as I get on in years, I feel I am becoming more and more like these two grumpy old geezers!
                                              

THE TWILIGHT ZONE!

THE TWILIGHT ZONE was an anthology tv series created by noted writer Rod Serling and dealt with fantastic stories which almost always featured a surprise and horrifying ending. The original series ran from 1959 to 1964 with a total of 156 episodes. The series quickly became a cult classic and still runs in syndication. It has been revived several times and a feature film produced by Steven Spielberg was released in 1983.
The original series remains the better one and some of my favorite episodes still hold up very well. The Twilight Zone has also been adapted into a series of comic books, the best ones being published by Gold Key Comics during the 60s.
Much has been written about the show and details are easily found everywhere on the Internet so I won't delve too much into them.
All I can say is that October and the Halloween season always seem to be the best time to enjoy these timeless episodes.
So here's remembering Rod Serling and the immortal Twilight Zone!

"There is a 5th dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space, and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow - between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call...

THE TWILIGHT ZONE!"