Funshine Friday: Super Friends

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'Created from the cosmic legends of the universe...' Super Friends, 1973

Hana-Barbera’s Super Friends debuted in September, 1973 and ran until 1986 (if you count all of its mutant permutations.) The main heroes in action each week were Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman (vroom! vroom!), and, uh…Aquaman. And let’s not forget about those powerless hangers-on; Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog. If you were lucky you might catch sight of a guest star such as the Flash, Plastic Man, or Green Arrow.

Whenever I hear of the Super Friends the first thing that pops into my mind is narrator Ted Knight dramatically intoning “Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice…” Ah, thems were the days. Good ol’ Ted. Enjoy the show’s intro below and have a happy Funshine Friday.

Super Friends Wiki, IMDb

Brady Bunch Moments: The new Jan Brady!

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Brunettes have more fun! The 'new' Jan Brady, January, 1971.

It’s time for another memory-blasting “Brady Bunch Moment”. Today, we enjoy another wacky heartbreak sequence involving troubled middle-child, Jan. Yes, it’s the outrageous, wig-wearing “New Jan Brady!”

The episode entitled “Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?” first aired on January 15, 1971 during season two of The Brady Bunch. Fun Fact: Pamelyn Ferdin who appears in this clip playing “Lucy” also played “Lucy” in three animated Peanuts specials in ’69-71. Enjoy Jan’s pain!

Time Covers 1974

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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)

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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’

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'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’

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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)