The Incomparable Stan Freberg, II

Posted on August 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Aug. 9, 1960, Stan Freberg

Aug. 9-10, 1960: Here are Parts 2 and 3 of Ursula Baumann’s profile of Stan Freberg.

"Mad Men" please take note: “I'm a bitter pill to Madison Avenue because I represent originality and freshness of approach — the kind of thing that seldom sees the light of day in advertising. The best things done on Madison Avenue are still in the desk drawers of the copywriters who wrote them."

He says he would starve before he played Las Vegas. "I don't want to
help people lose money they can't afford. And that's all an entertainer
is there for — to be a professional shill."

As for being a perfectionist: "The worst two phrases in the world today are 'It's good enough' and 'Nobody will know the difference.' If it isn't perfect — or as close as you can make it — it's NOT good enough. And somebody WILL know the difference."

Baumann says: Freberg credits much of his success to his meticulous craftsmanship, but adds: "It was chance and luck. And I think God has a lot to do with it — I give God a lot of credit for my success."

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Posted in #Jazz, broadcasting, Music, Religion, Television | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Oviatt’s

Posted on August 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

oviatt_robe_ebay02 oviat_ebay_robe02_label

This robe from Oviatt’s, perhaps the leading menswear store in Los Angeles in its day, has been listed on EBay. It’s priced as Buy It Now for $795. As with anything on EBay, the item and vendor should be evaluated thoroughly before submitting a bid. For comparison, here’s another robe that was listed on EBay in March 2009.

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Matt Weinstock, Aug. 12, 1960

Posted on August 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Aug. 12, 1960, Comics

Aug. 12, 1960: Matt Weinstock writes about homeowners trying to protest the assessor’s valuation of their houses. “Meanwhile, the supervisors seem unable to comprehend that they are confronted with a passive tax revolt — passive only because homeowners realize how futile it is to protest,” Weinstock says.

CONFIDENTIAL TO COUNSELOR IN CABIN FOUR: Quit chasing him. The bigger the summer the harder the fall, Abby says.

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Paul Coates, Aug. 12, 1960

Posted on August 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Aug. 12, 1960, Mirror

Aug. 12, 1960: Paul Coates examines the implications of a Columbia University professor’s demand to be paid for translating a letter written in Uzbeki.

Also on the jump, a column by Carter Barber on a Navy inquiry into the collision of two destroyers off Newport Beach, which killed 11 men and injured seven.

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 12, 1940

Posted on August 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Agu. 12, 1940, Nazis Lose Air Battle

Agu. 12, 1940, Tom Treanor

Tom Treanor files a report from Rome about daily life in the midst of wartime regulations.

Aug. 12, 1940: Mrs. John Garfield has had a nose bob and is thinking of a movie career, Jimmie Fidler says.

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The Incomparable Stan Freberg

Posted on August 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
1960_0808_freberg_photo

Young persons: If you have never heard of Stan Freberg, you are in for a delight. His comedy sketches from the 1950s and ’60s were sharp, clever and polished and many of them make “Saturday Night Live” look like a high school talent show.   Speaking of talent, Freberg had the best: June Foray (the voice of Rocky the Squirrel and Natasha Fatale) and Daws Butler (the voice of Quick Draw McGraw and Yogi Bear). [Note: a previous version of this post said Yogi Berra. We should know better. We remember Yogi Berra and Yogi Bear and we remember the difference unless we are having a senior moment].

By 1960, Freberg, Butler and animator Bob Clampett had worked on “Time for Beany” a  popular children’s show in the early days of television (be warned: The shows are primitive). Freberg had also pioneered a series of comedy records like “St. George and the Dragonet” (with Foray and Butler)  and hosted a radio show that was canceled after 15 episodes.

In the first of a three-part series from August 1960, Freberg tells the Mirror’s Ursula Baumann “I’d like to become a great humorist.”  In fact, he already was one.

Fortunately, much of Freberg’s material is available at archive.org, like his 1957 show on CBS. Freberg also created a series of comedy ads for Chun King Chow Mein, like this one from 1966.

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Posted in broadcasting, Television | 6 Comments

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 11, 1960

Posted on August 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
image
Who stole the Caltechium?! 

Aug. 11, 1960: Matt Weinstock revisits the story of the jealous husband, the lover’s convertible and a load of cement. Only this time it really happened. Sort of.

CONFIDENTIAL TO OLLIE: Put your cards on the table and quit trying to drink yourself under it, Abby says.

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Paul Coates, Aug. 11, 1960

Posted on August 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Aug. 11, 1960, Mirror Cover

Aug. 11, 1960: Paul Coates muses on whether plastic surgery would change criminals’ behavior.

As part of its redesign, the Mirror asked some of its staff to take turns as columnists. Jack Searles had one the other day and today we have the late Jack Goulding, who went to The Times after the demise of the Mirror.

I never worked with Goulding, who retired from The Times in 1983 and died in 1991, but he had a good reputation among people like Eric Malnic. His daughter Joan was also an editor at The Times.  A line that was cut from his obit went something like this: “In a survey of Times reporters, Goulding was the only one who was not considered a bastard.”  

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Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 11, 1941

Posted on August 11, 2010 by lmharnisch
Aug. 11, 1940, Pacific Crisis

Aug. 11, 1941, Bayonet

Aug. 11, 1941: Robert Cummings, puzzler: Mr. Cummings, currently working in two pictures — "King's Row," in which he wears his hair parted on the right, and "It Started With Adam," for which he parts it on the left — wants Congress to pass a law enforcing straight-back pompadours, Jimmie Fidler says.

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Striker Sentenced for Violating Picketing Law

Posted on August 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 11, 1910, Elope

A woman runs off with a man who has no legs? Somebody at The Times had a grim sense of humor.

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Aug. 11, 1910, Picketer

Aug. 11, 1910: A judge sentences E.P. Kreamer to a $50 [$1,136.94 USD 2009] fine or 50 days in jail for violating the anti-picketing ordinance. The next man facing trial was Carl Schultzer, a striking brewery worker, but jury selection went slowly, according to The Times and the Herald. 

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Posted in #courts, 1910 L.A. Times bombing, art and artists, LAPD | Comments Off on Striker Sentenced for Violating Picketing Law

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 10, 1960

Posted on August 10, 2010 by lmharnisch
 

Aug. 10, 1960, Psycho

Aug. 10, 1960: People who like music are honest and rarely write bad checks, Matt Weinstock finds.

CONFIDENTIAL TO CHRIS: Get off the farm once in a while. You won't find a bride in the Sears and Roebuck catalogue, Abby says.

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From the Archives

Posted on August 10, 2010 by lmharnisch
robert_kennedy_1968_yaro
Photograph by Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times
My friends on the photo desk have started a terrific blog featuring images from the archives. Here’s Boris Yaro’s famous photograph of the 1968 shooting of Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel.

Boris writes: I had gone to the Ambassador Hotel on my own with the idea of making a photo of Bobby Kennedy for my wall. The idea went further than I had expected.

When the shooting started I thought someone was tossing firecrackers because I was being hit in the face with debris. I grew up playing with fireworks, and this was not an unusual thing to happen.

Then the crowd parted, and I watched in horror as Sirhan emptied his revolver at Robert Kennedy. I had my camera at chest level, but I didn’t make a photo during the shooting.  It was dark, and I think I was afraid.

Read the rest here.
Posted in Photography, RFK | 1 Comment

Paul Coates, Aug. 10, 1960

Posted on August 10, 2010 by lmharnisch

Aug. 10, 1960, Mirror  

Aug. 10, 1960: Writing about his recent vacation, Paul Coates says that things are much better in Tijuana.

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 10, 1940

Posted on August 10, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Aug. 10, 1940, British, Nazi Raiders

Aug. 10, 1940, Tom Treanor

Tom Treanor files a column from wartime Rome that’s just about perfect.  

Aug. 10, 1940: Jimmie Fidler’s staff says, Did you hear about golfer Chico Marx making a hole in one at Hillcrest the other day? Unfortunately, it was the W R O N G hole!

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Reds, Dodgers in a Wild Doubleheader

Posted on August 10, 2010 by lmharnisch


image

Aug. 10, 1970, Dodgers Aug. 10, 1970 : The Dodgers blew up the record book and challenged their fans' endurance during a wild doubleheader, using 35 hits to sweep the Cincinnati Reds, 7-3 and 13-3.

The Dodgers had 26 singles, seven doubles and two triples. Willie Davis, Maury Wills and Wes Parker each had five hits, Bill Russell had four and Billy Grabarkewitz and Tom Haller each had three hits. Parker, the first baseman better known for his stylish glove work, drove in two runs to give him 82 RBIs for the season. That made him the top first baseman in Los Angeles Dodger history, overtaking Gil Hodges in 1959.

It must have been a wild day, particularly in the 13-3 second game. Dodger starting pitcher Alan Foster drove in three runs. And the Reds, who were still 12 games in front of the Dodgers, used future Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench in left field and at first base as well as behind the plate. He also was thrown out of the first game. Reds Manager Sparky Anderson told The Times' John Wiebusch, "I could use him at shortstop and not be embarrassed."

–Keith Thursby
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Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile

Posted on August 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

batchelder_tile_ebay_framed02 Batchelder tile EBay

Two remarkably detailed pieces of Batchelder tile, both in frames, have been listed on EBay. Bidding on the first piece, at left, starts at $1,800. Bidding on the second piece, above, starts at $1,350. As with all listings on EBay, items and vendors should be evaluated thoroughly before submitting a bid.
Posted in Architecture, art and artists | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile

Matt Weinstock, Aug. 9, 1960

Posted on August 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

August 9, 1960, Buck Rogers: Caltechium is the ULTIMATE WEAPON!August 9, 1960: Buck Rogers: Caltechium is the ultimate weapon!

Aug. 9, 1960: Matt Weinstock writes about a story that was told at the farewell party for Paul Weeks (d. 2007), who was leaving to become the Mirror’s Washington correspondent. In fact, Weeks remained in Washington (spoiler) after the Mirror ceased publication in early 1962.

CONFIDENTIAL TO BETTY: The only woman who looks good carrying a torch is the Statue of Liberty. Date others and forget him, Abby says. Continue reading →

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Paul Coates, Aug. 9, 1960

Posted on August 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

August 9, 1960: Mirror Page 1Oooh! “Fatty” is a headline word!

Aug. 9, 1960: The family that boats together, floats together, Paul Coates says.

And the Mirror introduces a column by Jack Searles. Continue reading →

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Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Aug. 9, 1940

Posted on August 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

 
Aug. 9, 1940, Jimmie Fidler

Aug. 9, 1940, Tom Treanor

Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, decides that four weeks in Lisbon is enough and manages to get on a plane for Rome.

Aug. 9, 1940: "Orson Welles is far ahead of shooting schedule on his first pic; if he keeps it up a lot of us wisecrackers will eat crow," Jimmie Fidler says.

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From the Vaults: ‘My Favorite Wife’ (1940)

Posted on August 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

Wife Returning to earlier themes of Cary Grant and wife-swapping, this week we have "My Favorite Wife," a screwball comedy. As usual with this genre, your mood will determine whether you find the antics hilarious or simply trying. So if you are at all tired or cranky, maybe watch a nice slasher film instead and save this one for a night you're feeling more mellow. But if you're in the mood, it's just peachy.

Grant plays Nick, a widower who lost his first wife, Ellen (Irene Dunne), to a shipwreck, and is about to marry Bianca (Gail Patrick) when suddenly Ellen reappears — not dead after all! (Sorry, this is not one of those romantic zombie comedies.) This plot will be dear to anyone who has ever watched a soap opera, and I know there are more of you out there than you will ever let on. I myself fondly remember the "Sunset Beach" episode when Ben was about to marry Meg but then Maria washed ashore from the desert island where she'd been shipwrecked…

Anyway, it's certainly a situation that puts the husband in a bind, and Grant does his usual share of bugging his eyes and then debonairly trying to smooth things over. He's very charming, of course, and he makes it immediately clear what Nick wants to do: he loves Ellen, and he wants to call things off with Bianca. But he just — can't — bring — himself — to do it! If he could, the movie would be 10 minutes long. I got pretty tired though of watching him dither and fuss and placate Bianca and then turn around and placate Ellen. When he finally gets punched in the face, it's almost too late to be satisfying.

 

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Posted in Film, From the Vaults, Hollywood | 9 Comments