Music for Monday: Average White Band, ‘School Boy Crush’

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A cut above…
Average White Band, ‘School Boy Crush,’ 1975

“She said ‘Look, boy.’ ‘Don’t you touch.’ That ain’t much. It’s only a school boy crush.”

It’s been a few months since we shined the musical spotlight on Scotland’s Average White Band. Let’s remedy that right now as we can all use a shot of tasty funk to survive Monday.

Here’s AWB performing the groove-tastic “School Boy Crush” on Soul Train circa 1975. “School Boy Crush” appears on the L.P., Cut the Cake, which hit record shops in the summer of ’75.

Previously, on Music for Monday: John Lennon, ‘Stand By Me’

Shazam!’: Michael Gray Interviewed, promo video

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The moment you’ve waited for: “Shazam!”
Michael Gray, ‘Shazam!’ TV series, mid-1970s

I reported the other day on the impending release of the Shazam! complete series DVD collection from Warner Brothers. Well, the disc is out now and series star Michael Gray (Billy Batson) has been doing some promotion this past week.

Check in with KSite TV for a short new interview with Gray and see what the man has been up to. You can gather up a few Shazam!-related tidbits while there. Here’s a quote chunk below and a Shazam! promo video:

“Ksite: How far did you guys actually go to shoot? You kept in this area, didn’t you, even though Mentor and Billy were driving all around the country?

Gray: We kept in this area. We never did anything in the studio. It was all outdoors or on location. Whether it was Vasquez Rocks or down in San Pedro, or somewhere else, it was all within a couple-hour drive of Los Angeles.”

Shazam! Wiki

Mood Music: Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (live, 1971)

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“Let’s go, guitar!”
Carl Perkins, ‘The Johnny Cash Show,’ 1971

Here’s a short, shakin’ shock of Mood Music for your Saturday evening. Carl Perkins performing “Blue Suede Shoes” on The Johnny Cash Show which aired on January 21, 1971. A minute and a half of stomping good fun. Play it loud.

Carl Perkins Wiki, The Johnny Cash Show IMDb

Funshine Friday: The Roman Holidays

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“Hop in your chariot and come this way…meet the groovy Holidays!”
‘The Roman Holidays,’ 1972

Hanna-Barbera’s short-lived cartoon, The Roman Holidays, originally ran for 13 episodes from September through December, 1972. The show was something like a Flintstones in the Roman Era (63 AD) and featured Dave Willock as Gus Holiday. You’ll probably remember Willock’s voice as the announcer for Wacky Races.

‘The Roman Holidays’ cast; Precocia, Gus, Laurie and Happius

I’ve got to admit that this is one cartoon that doesn’t reside within my memory box. I would have been a mere five-years-old when it was on and I either missed it or simply don’t remember watching. The show hasn’t seen much re-run action. How about yourselves? This one ring any Roman bells?

The Roman Holidays Wiki, IMDb

Previously, on Funshine Friday: The Red Hand Gang

Show Toppers: The Invisible Man (1975)

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‘The Invisible Man’ TV title card, 1975
You can see through the lettering. See what they did there?

The Invisible Man ran for a single season on NBC, Mondays at 8 PM, from September 8, 1975 to January 19, 1976. The show starred David McCallum (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as the “Man” in question, Dr. Daniel Westin.

‘The Invisible Man’ cast is clearly visible in this shot: Melinda Fee, Craig Stevens, David McCallum

Westin was stuck in his invisibility and wore a mask and plastic hands to appear normal. He, along with his wife, Kate (Melinda Fee) worked for the KLAE Corporation while attempting to concoct a cure. Meanwhile, the good doctor took on secret KLAE missions doled out by his boss, Walter Carlson (Craig Stevens). Oh, and the show had a cracking theme song – don’t you think?

The Invisible Man Wiki, IMDb

Previously, on Show Toppers: Code R

Time covers 1979

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In posts past, we explored exceptional Time Magazine covers from 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978. Today, in our final installment, we turn our attention to the end-of-the-decade and 1979.

Major events included China’s Teng Hsiao-ping as ‘Man of the Year,’ Iran and the US hostage crisis, the Three-Mile Island nuclear disaster and the Carter-Brezhnev SALT II Summit as well as entertainment stories on Robin Williams, Woody Allen, Diane Lane and The Who.

By clicking one image you can easily enlarge and scroll through them all (look to the lower right and click the next image link).

Time/CoverBrowser