Time Covers 1974

In posts past, we took a look at stand-out Time Magazine covers from 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973. Today, let’s turn our attention to the year 1974.

Major events included Richard Nixon resigning the presidency before he could be impeached. Gerald Ford took office and pardoned Nixon. Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper were hot in entertainment and heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped by and later joined the SLA. Feast your peepers.

Time/Cover Source

Trailer Tuesday: The Other (1972)

Chris Udvarnoky in The Other, 1972

Directed by Robert Mulligan and based on the book by Tom Tryon, The Other was released 40 years ago in May of 1972.

I saw this movie at a very young age, and although the film oozed with creepiness, I still found it fascinating. I probably related to the young actors (Chris and Martin Udvarnoky) on some level. Sadly, Chris Udvarnoky (Niles Perry in the film) died in October, 2010 at the age of 49. Enjoy the trailer and seek out The Other.

The Other Wiki, IMDb

Music for Monday: Stealers Wheel, ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’

'Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right...' Stealers Wheel, 1972

Hey folks, happy Monday. I’ll keep this short and sweet as I’ve mostly been in bed the past two days with a humdinger of a cold/flu thingy. I couldn’t leave you without some nifty Monday music though could I?

Here’s Scottish band Stealers Wheel with their massive hit from 1972, “Stuck in the Middle with You“. Enjoy.

(Thanks, YouTube poster Elconquistador69too)

70s Spots: Star-Kist Tuna, ‘Sorry, Charlie’

Star-Kist, 1972. 'Sorry, Charlie. Tuna is for kids.' Well, that's how they sold us in the 70s.

Commercial break time. Here’s a TV spot for Star-Kist Tuna featuring Charlie the Tuna and his little yellow buddy. Similar spots ran, and were well-liked, throughout the 1970s.

The copyright on this commercial looks like it reads 1972 and YouTube poster, WookieCookie, says it was recorded in 1973. The ad execs and animators did their job well on this long-running series of Star-Kist ads. As a child, I actually looked forward to seeing a new commercial and mildly enjoying what fresh twist they’d come up with to foil Charlie. It always came down to this:

“But Charlie, Star-Kist don’t want tuna with good taste. Star-Kist wants tuna that tastes good.”

*Note: The originally posted video is no longer online. Here’s a good replacement with a Jaws take-off from 1976.

Star-Kist Tuna Commercial (1970s)

Funshine Friday: ‘Clue Club’ (1976)

Clue Club's Woofer and Wimper in a typically brave pose - August, 1976

Hanna-Barbera’s Clue Club originally ran on CBS from August, 1976 to September, 1977. 16 episodes were produced. Similar to its forerunner, Scooby-Doo, the show featured teenage private eyes; Larry, Pepper, D.D. and Dotty and their canine pals Woofer and Wimper.

Enjoy the Clue Club intro below and have a happy Funshine Friday!

‘Clue Club’ Cartoon Intro, 1976

Today, in the 70s: Led Zeppelin rocks, thousands protest Vietnam War (May 3, 1971)

Led Zep's Jimmy Page smokes Copenhagen - May 3rd, 1971. (Photo: LedZeppelin.com)

Let’s take a look at what was occurring on this day, May 3rd, 1971.

Led Zeppelin played a rocking, two-hour set at K. B. Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to the official Zeppelin site, the band played Four Sticks live for the first and last time and debuted Misty Mountain Hop on this very evening. This was truly one to see.

Robert Plant is Misty Mountain Hopping - May 3rd, 1971. (Photo: LedZeppelin.com)

Here’s a Zep tour video from later in summer ’71 to give you an idea of what you missed.

Additionally, on May, 3rd, 1971 NPR’s All Things Considered program made its radio debut and is still going strong today, 41 years later.

All Things Considered‘s first show featured a story on “a huge protest in Washington, DC against the Vietnam War” where thousands were arrested – the biggest arrest in US history – and “a barber in Iowa whose trade was eroded by an increasingly hirsute America took to shaving women’s legs.”

Here’s a video report on the protest which includes footage of the day: