May 10, 1978: A Wednesday to Remember

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Today is May 10th, 2011. A date so futuristic it makes my head hurt. Let’s cast ourselves back in time 33 years to a simpler time – May 10th, 1978 – and take a look at some of the events we enjoyed on this carefree late-70s Wednesday.

In the Movies:

Haha. Death was so funny in '78!

Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise suicide comedy (!) The End is released, as is It Lives Again and Perry King’s A Different Story.

On TV:

It's freakin' Amayzing!

A promo aired for the “Amayzing” CBS TV movie Murder at the Mardi Gras starring Didi Conn and David Groh (with a “Special appearance” by Wolfman Jack.)

In the News:

According to the CBS Evening News with Roger Mudd:
The EPA issues a recall order for almost all AMC cars from 1976.
President Carter requests labor leaders hold down wage demands and AFL-CIO president George Meany objects.
Kensington Castle officials announce the impending divorce of “Britain’s Princess Margaret from Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon.”

In Sports:

The St. Louis Cardinals battled the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The Cards defeated the Dodgers 6 to 5. (The Dodgers later went all the way to the ’78 World Series where they lost to the Yankees.)

The Seattle Mariners fought the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Stadium. The Indians emerged victorious 6 to1.

In Music:

Alice Cooper rocked Saginaw Auditorium in Saginaw, Michigan with tunes such as “Only Women Bleed” and the show closer, “School’s Out”.

The Grateful Dead played Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut, opening the set with “Jack Straw” and closing with “U.S. Blues”.

Van Halen shook the Matador Theater in Paris, France (exactly three months after releasing their debut album) with tunes including “Runnin’ With The Devil” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”.

Van Halen's 1978 debut - Paris discovers Hair Metal

In the Comics:

Issue #24 of Howard the Duck and issue #180 of The Amazing Spider-Man (with The Green Goblin on the cover) go on sale.

And finally – actor/comedian (and Saturday Night Live cast member) Kenan Thompson known for the modern, live-action remake of the 70s cartoon hit Fat Albert was born on this day in Atlanta, Georgia.

‘Viva Knievel!’ Movie Trailer (1977)

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Stay tuned, kids! I just may break every bone in my body!

Holy Moley! You have got to find three minutes in your busy day to watch this trailer for Evel Knievel’s 1977’s motion picture Viva Knievel!, aka “The excitement picture of the year”.

While I was a big Knievel fan (and what 10-yr-old boy wasn’t in ’77?) I never caught this movie in theaters. I guess the power of Star Wars, which released a month earlier, was too overwhelming.

Keep your eyes peeled for Lauren Hutton, Gene Kelly, Leslie Nielson, Red Buttons and child star, Eric Olson (who you may remember from 70s TV shows; Apple’s Way and Swiss Family Robinson). I need to sit down and soak up this 70s faded-classic stat!

‘Viva Knievel!’ Movie Trailer, 1977

Investigate: Viva Knievel! Wiki, Viva Knievel! IMDb, Evel Knievel.com

Elton John’s Philadelphia Freedom: #1 This Week – 1975

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Hey cats & kittens, let’s check in with the charts and get to rocking on this fine Tuesday morning. One of the biggest musical stars of the 1970s, Elton John, was never very far from the top of the charts throughout the decade.

Elton’s ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ spent two weeks at number one: April 6 – 19 1975, riding the wave of pre-Bicentennial hype. Hit the clicker below to view the English rocker performing on TV’s Soul Train in all his rhinestone glory. I always liked this tune. How about you?

Interesting factoid: ‘Philadelphia Freedom’, released 24 February 1975, featured a duet with John Lennon, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ (Live)’, on the B-side of the single.

“Wiki Quote: Recorded in the summer of 1974, during breaks between the sessions for “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,” the song was at the time the only song Elton and Bernie ever consciously wrote as a single, as Elton told journalist Paul Gambaccini. Elton, looking to honour his friend, tennis professional Billie Jean King, asked Bernie to write a song called “Philadelphia Freedom,” and homage to her tennis team.

Huge glasses? Check! Outrageous hat? Check! Golden Mic? Check! Let's rock.

In “His Song: The Musical History of Elton John,” Elizabeth Rosenthal recounts that Taupin said, “I can’t write a song about tennis,” and didn’t. Taupin maintains that the lyrics bear no relation to tennis, Philly Soul or even flag-waving patriotism. Nonetheless, his words have been interpreted as patriotic and uplifting, and even though released in 1975, the song’s sentiment, intended or not, meshed perfectly with an American music audience already gearing up for the country’s bicentennial celebration in July of the next year.”

(Sources: 1, 2)

70s Celebs: Flip Wilson

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Clerow Wilson, Jr., was born December 8, 1933 in Jersey City, New Jersey into a family of 18 children. After early years in foster homes and a reform school, 16-yr-old Wilson fibbed about his age and entered the US Air Force.

The young serviceman’s bubbly personality and outgoing manner earned him the nickname “Flip”, short for “Flipped out!” After discharge from the Air Force in 1954, Flip began working as a bellhop at the Manor Plaza Hotel in San Francisco where he eventually found comedic fill-in work between acts.

By the 1960s Flip had perfected his act, performing regularly at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. Stardom beckoned and Flip began booking slots on TV staples such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show.

In 1970 Flip scored a Grammy Award for his comedy album The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress and launched The Flip Wilson Show on NBC. The hour-long variety show was a break-out success, airing from September 17, 1970 until June 27, 1974, leading Time magazine to place Flip on its cover and dub him “TV’s First Black Superstar.”

Flip is best-known for his characters Geraldine Jones (a feisty Wilson in drag), the outrageous Reverend Leroy (Pastor of the “Church of What’s Happening Now”) and lovable everyman, Freddie Johnson. The sight of Flip’s name spelled out in flashing lights from the show’s opening is forever etched in the minds of 70s TV watchers, as is the Flip handshake, which involved greeting each guest on the show with a series of hand, elbow and hip bumps.

One of the writers on Flip’s show was comedian George Carlin, who appeared in sketches on numerous occasions. Wilson also featured a great number of exceptional musical guests such as James Brown, Louis Armstrong and The Jackson 5.

Other notable 1970s Flip Wilson TV appearances included 1972’s animated Clerow Wilson and the Miracle of P.S. 14, and The Six Million Dollar Man (’76). Film appearances included 1974’s Uptown Saturday Night and 1979’s The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. Flip passed away at age 64 on November 25, 1998.

Read up on Flip:
Flip Wilson Wiki, Flip Wilson IMDb, Flip at TV Party

We’ll leave you with a nice clip of Flip. Enjoy.

Flip back to the Bionic Disco homepage.

Funky Fads: Pet Rock

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As the story goes, in April, 1975 California-based advertising executive Gary Dhal was out having drinks with a few friends when the topic of conversation turned to pets. Dahl told his pals that pets were troublesome, dirty and expensive. His chosen best buddy was a pet rock – much less trouble and a lot less mess. The friends began riffing on this idea, tossing jokes around. Dahl, however, took the matter somewhat more seriously and a business plan quickly formed in his head.

Pet Rock (1975) - Thank goodness a soft nest was provided to keep your loving Rock from harm!

Dhal set to work writing ‘The Care and Training of your Pet Rock’ manual (“How to make your Pet Rock roll-over and play dead”), finding a cheap source of quality rocks (inexpensive, yet attractive stones from Rosarita Beach in Baja, Mexico) and creating an attention-grabbing press release.

Dhal first presented his Rocks at the Gift Show in San Francisco in August ’75. After Neiman-Marcus ordered a batch and Newsweek ran a story – the Pet Rock exploded in popularity, becoming a must-have item and genuine fad. Retailing at $3.95, the Pet Rock quickly turned Dhal into a multi-millionaire.

Gary Dhal rings up another sale circa 1975. Rock on!

The Pet Rock phenomenon lasted a scant six months and after a sales surge over Christmas ’75 quickly died out. Perhaps the Pet Rock’s longest-lasting legacy is its inspirational pull on inventors looking to create the Next Big Thing.

More Pet Rock info than you can shake a stick at:
They Always Come Back, Pet Rock Page, PetsDo.com, Pet Rock Wiki

The First ‘Earth Day’ – April, 1970

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Just under 41 years ago, in April of 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, U.S. Senator, Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, spoke to the press about his idea of a “national teach-in on the environment”. After building a large national staff and promoting the idea across the county, Nelson’s idea began to take off.

Walter Cronkite’s Earth Day report, April, 1970

On the 22nd of April, 1970, an estimated 20 million Americans demonstrated in rallies across the United States. Colleges, in particular, organized protests in defense of the environment. Groups speaking out against pollution, oil spills and toxic dumping now found like-minded individuals to band together with in common cause. The hippies of the sixties had finally become organized.

April 22, 1970. Earth Day gathering in Philly.

Earth Day is still celebrated today and it all began at the beginning of the so-called “Me Decade”. See that? The 70s weren’t only about plush shag carpeting and Key Parties now were they? To quote EarthDay.org:

“The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. ‘It was a gamble,’ Gaylord recalled, ‘but it worked.’ “

Read more about Earth Day at EarthDay.org and the Earth Day Wiki.