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.

Movie Watching: April 15th, 1973, Soylent Green and More

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Let’s say you’ve got the urge to catch a flick tonight. It’s April 15th…..uh, 1973. Am I right? Let’s take a look at some of the movies you might head out to see this evening at the local cinema. Grab your long leather coat and bring at least $1.65 x 2 for a pair of tickets. This is gonna be fun.

Billy Jack
Directed by: T. C. Frank (Tom Laughlin)
Starring: Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, Howard Hesseman
Synopsis: Billy Jack (Laughlin), an American Cherokee Indian and “Green Beret” Vietnam War vet, defends the Freedom School and its counter-culture students from antagonistic townsfolk.
Interesting Factoids: Billy Jack was initially released in 1971 and fared poorly. Re-released in 1973, the film became a huge hit. Howard Hesseman, later of WKRP in Cincinnati, appears in the film as a student.
Billy Jack IMDb, Billy Jack Wiki
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Charlotte’s Web
Directed by: Charles A. Nichols, Iwao Takamoto
Starring: Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, Henry Gibson
Synopsis: A remarkable spider named Charlotte (Reynolds) devotes her life to her friend, Wilbur the pig (Gibson).
Interesting Factoids: Partridge Family stars, Dave Madden and Danny Bonaduce provide voice work.
Charlotte’s Web IMDb, Charlotte’s Web Wiki
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Class of ‘44
Directed by: Paul Bogart
Starring: Oliver Conant, Gary Grimes and Jerry Houser
Synopsis: A sequel to Summer of ’42, Summer of ’44 follows Benjie, Hermie and Oscy upon graduation from high school and onward into college and war.
Interesting Factoids: John Candy appears in a tiny role near the beginning of the movie. His first feature film role.
Class of ’44 – IMDb, Class of ’44 – Wiki
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High Plains Drifter
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill
Synopsis: A trio of outlaws are headed for the mining town town of Lago. The frightened townsfolk hire The Stranger (Eastwood) to protect them.
Interesting Factoids: An entire town was built on the shores of Mono Lake in California for the shoot.
High Plains Drifter IMDb, High Plains Drifter Wiki
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Soylent Green
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Leigh Taylor-Young
Synopsis: In the future (2022), the world is suffering from pollution, over-heating, over-crowding and depleted resources (yikes, too close for comfort). Much of society survives on food rations such as ‘Soylent Green’. In this brutal environment, a detective searches for the murderer of a wealthy business man.
Interesting Factoids: Edward G. Robinson died from cancer on January 26, 1973. Just twelve days after shooting completed.
Soylent Green IMDb, Soylent Green Wiki
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And, oh yes, one almost forgotten to the annals of time:

Walt Disney’s Charley & the Angel
Directed by: Vincent McEveety
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Cloris Leachman, Harry Morgan
Synopsis: In the time of The Great Depression, workaholic Charley (MacMurray) finds out from an Angel (Morgan) that he is soon to die. Charley sets out to become a better husband and father before he checks out forever.
Interesting Factoids: Cloris Leachman was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her appearance in the film. MacMurray, age 64 at the time of filming, played the father of two young boys. That’s virility!
Charley & the Angel IMDb, Charley & the Angel Wiki

(Additional Source: 1)

TV Time: Be a Pepper!

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Be a Pepper! C'mon, you know you danced around your living room to this one.

Hey kids! It’s time for Bionic Disco’s ‘Ad of the Day’. Today, we’ve bottled up a good one – Dr. Pepper’s famed “Be a Pepper” song & dance spot featuring actor David Naughton (who later went on to star in 1979’s Makin’ It TV series and American Werewolf in London).

This ad was truly inescapable to TV watchers of the 70s. That sure as heck included me. Enjoy (a Pepper!)

70s Soaps Canceled – ‘All My Children’, ‘One Life to Live’

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ABC has announced the cancellation of two of its longest-running television series; All My Children and One Life to Live. The network has stated that it wishes to “evolve” its daytime schedule and two new shows; The Chew and The Revolution (neither one a Soap Opera) will be filling the empty slots.

Both of the canceled shows ran throughout the 1970s (not to mention the 80s, 90s, and 00s) and certainly seemed like they’d continue running on the ol’ goggle box for all eternity.

My goodness! Erica is late for her own wedding. For Shame. (Sept. 1978)

All My Children (set for implosion this September) began its 41-year run in January, 1970. 70s-era stars included Susan Lucci as Erica and Richard Hatch (later of Battlestar Galactica) as Phil.

One Life to Live (circa 1979) soon to roll the final credits.

One Life to Live (set to expire in Jan. 2012) made its debut in July of 1968, with stars such as Erika Slezak and Al Freeman, Jr. capturing viewer’s attention in the 1970s.

Personally, I was never a Soap-watcher, but I’m sure a lot of tears (real ones this time!) will be shed over the loss of these venerable television institutions.

(Sources: 1, 2, 3)

The Osmonds: Number One for March 1971

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Donny and the boys get their Elvis on

March has arrived and Spring is just around the corner. Can you smell the fresh apples in the air? No? Well, maybe after watching The Osmonds perform their hit, “One Bad Apple”, a number 1 single from March 1971, we can fix that. Enjoy.