Scorsese's Mean Streets, 1973. 'These are honorable men...'
Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets made its theatrical debut in October of 1973. The film stars Harvey Keitel as Mafia debt collector, Charlie and Robert De Niro as his troublesome buddy, Johnny Boy.
Scorsese went on to make Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore in ’74, Taxi Driver in ’76 and New York, New York in ’77.
The Sweet, 'Fox on the Run', 1975
Happy Monday, lil’ boppers. You’re going to want to get into character for this one. Strap on your glam boots, frazzle your hair and start stomping along with The Sweet as they play their 1975 worldwide top ten hit, “Fox on the Run“.
Whaddya mean you don’t know how to “frazzle” your hair?! Just make it all foxy and stuff.
The Sweet Wiki.
McQuarrie's C-3PO and R2-D2 concept work, circa '75
Sad news alert: Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, the man behind the designs for Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, died March 3rd at the age of 82.
McQuarrie was a true talent and created many iconic sci fi images of the 1970s and 80s. The original Star Wars trilogy would not have been as wondrous or imaginative-looking without him. In fact, it may not have been made at all if George Lucas hadn’t taken a pile of McQuarrie’s inspiring drawings along with him when he successfully pitched his Star Wars idea at 20th Century Fox. When he had pitched his movie concept at Universal – without bringing any drawings – they passed.
In addition to working on the three films in the original Star Wars trilogy, McQuarrie provided designs for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., the original Battlestar Galactica TV series and won an Oscar for his work on Cocoon.
Read more about the artist at RalphMcQuarrie.com and Wikipedia.
BBC Quote:
“Born in Gary, Indiana, McQuarrie began his career as a technical illustrator for aeroplane manufacturer Boeing and designing film posters.
He also animated US TV network CBS’s coverage of Nasa’s Apollo space programme.
In 1975, he was hired by Lucas to design some of the characters and scenes for his ‘space opera’ Star Wars.
As well as designing some of the sets including the desert planet Tatooine, McQuarrie also did the conceptual drawings for many characters.
His rewards included an uncredited role in the sequel The Empire Strikes Back, as General Pharl McQuarrie, and his own action figure.
In a statement, Lucas said: ‘His genial contribution, in the form of unequalled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy.
‘When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph’s fabulous illustrations and say, ‘do it like this’.'”
Ralph McQuarrie (Photo: ralphmcquarrie.com)
1978: Dick Van Dyke finds photos taken by 'The Handle' freakin' hilarious!
Gather round the TV, it’s time for a commercial break. Here’s a quick spot from 1978 featuring Dick Van Dyke touting Kodak’s “least-expensive instant camera” The Handle.
The Handle was an attempt by Kodak to compete with Polaroid for the instant photo market. By 1986 it was all over for Kodak’s instant department. A court injunction stemming from a lawsuit between Polaroid and Kodak prevented them from selling instant cameras and film. Ouch.
(Photo Source: The Handle with box by PDC)
Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space, 1972. "On a spooky planet...maybe Mars!'
Happy Funshine Friday, frisky friends! It’s happy wacky cartoontime here in Bionicland.
Hanna-Barbera’s Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space, a re-imagining of the original Josie and the Pussycats, originally ran on CBS from 1972-73. Interesting factoids: The original Josie was created by Archie Comics’ Dan DeCarlo and Cheryl Ladd (later of Charlie’s Angels) provided the public face and singing voice for Melody. Launch it!
More Info:
Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space Wiki, IMDb
Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space. 'Way above the atmosphere, trying to get back to here.'
On a fine Thursday morning such as this I like to settle into my La-Z-Boy recliner, pull the tab on a Fresca, crack open an old magazine and travel back in time.*
The May 1st, 1978 issue of People Magazine featured a cover story on comedian Steve Martin. Martin, already hugely-successful by that time (and a virtual god in my 11-year-old eyes), reveals his relationship with Bernadette Peters, chats about his home in Aspen and his budding interest in collecting works of art.
Let’s take a look at some quotes from the issue:
“The Crazy & Wild Steve Martin (by Frank W. Martin)
He’s Kidding When He Says Let’s Get Small. He Doesn’t Do Dope, and He’s Never Been Bigger
…He’s a middle-class WASP from California’s Reagan country who’s moving in on the Woody Allen and Richard Pryor turf. And a prematurely gray 32-year-old in a $600 Mark Twain white suit knocking out blue-denim and double-knit audiences. His breakthrough LP is titled Let’s Get Small (stoned), but Martin has barely drunk even wine for several years and hasn’t smoked dope in seven. He’s an ex-philosophy major who dares to play lunatic. Like the night postperformance in Nashville when he led fans into a diner and demanded 274 burgers—then changed the order to one fries to go. ‘One time on the Tonight Show,’ Martin shrugs, ‘Johnny Carson leaned over during a commercial and said, ‘You’ll do everything you know to get a laugh.’ He’s right.”
Steve and the banjo - a lifelong love affair
“But yuks are what ‘Professional Show Business’ (as Steve facetiously calls it) is all about, and his brand of nontopical, vaudevillian self-parody has put him on Carson’s show 40 times (five as host) and NBC’s Saturday Night Live five times. Last year Martin grossed more than $1 million, made a major movie deal, struck gold and a Grammy with Let’s Get Small—and keeps on getting bigger.
Past his comedian’s angst, he maintains, ‘I’m much happier now that I’m successful. I can understand why people get depressed without it.’ These days he figures he can afford ‘fur-lined sinks and an electric dog polisher’ and has one more reason to be happy. It’s not short-time old lady Linda Ronstadt (‘We just talk on the phone, and I send her tapes of Irish folk music’) but Bernadette Peters, 30, star of TV’s retired All’s Fair. They’ve been keeping company since their mutual agent Marty Klein introduced them six months ago.”
You can read the full article for more.
*OK, I don’t really own a La-Z-Boy recliner but a cold Fresca would sure hit the spot.