Coming Back Soon

Hoping you all are enjoying the holiday season. I will be back to posting and starting off the 7th year of DWoW soon. I've got a lot planned. Hope to see you then! - Dartman

Podcast 30!!!

Sorry for the long absence. I've been incredibly busy so I haven't had a lot of time for posting. But today, I am posting! And not just any old post, but the 30th Podcast! I can't believe I'm on Podcast #30. This one, if I dare say, is awesome! Starting off with one of my favorite songs sung by my good friend, Leon Dewain, followed by a wide variety of clips from Tears For Fears, Mark Pender, Flickerstick, Talking Heads, Winterpills, the Flintstones, Wild Man Fisher, Van Halen, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Flock of Seagulls and much, much more! Great listening material for home, office, car, bus, train or anywhere! Here is Podcast 30. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #30

Finally, the Third Indiana Jones Story Album!

After years of saying I will post "The Story of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade", I am finally keeping true to my word! Here is the third and final story record from the Indiana Jones legacy. As with The Temple of Doom, there is plenty of dialogue, music and sound effects from the film with an added bonus: deleted scenes!!!! The album was obviously produced before the final cut of the film was released and as a result there are many scenes included or described on the album that were never in the film! Super cool! Well worth the wait, don't you think? Here is "The Story of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade". Enjoy!

The Story of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

Kroft Supershow!!!!!

Here's part 1 of the first episode of the Kroft Supershow from 1977! This is the same episode that they used for the Kaptain Kool and The Kongs story LP that I shared here years ago. After this part, you'll need to head over to youtube to finish the episode! Enjoy!

Podcast 29!

After a few weeks of no podcasts (but of posts of other natures!), I bring you the latest and greatest podcast. This one features a lot of stuff from the likes of Wolfman Jack, Depeche Mode, Those Darn Accordions, White Stripes, Roger Miller, Martin & Lewis, Elvis Presley, Karen Carpenter and so much more. This one is a lot of fun! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #29

Bob Crane's Concentration Drum Camp

Whatever your opinion of Bob Crane, I always had a big respect for the man. He started out as a musician before becoming a DJ and then eventually a gigantic television star. His musical venture into percussion put him into some of the same symphonies that I have had the pleasure of working in as well. It's not surprising that his love for music continued well after his fame from "Hogan's Heroes".In 1966, Bob Crane released an album as a result of his affiliation with the television series:"The Funny Side of TV". The record is a crazy mixture of instrumental big-band renditions of television themes with Crane's drum kit high in the mix. Add to that some brief skits, one-liners, and Crane's comedy monologues. Some of the jokes are pretty funny, from Crane's improbable reading of cast members on "Theme from 'Thursday Night at the Movies'" to his ridiculous sendup of Candid Camera. As you might expect, Crane performs the theme from Hogan's Heroes along with themes from F Troop, My Three Sons, Get Smart, and other shows of the day. Crane received assistance from big-name arrangers such as Sid Feller, Ernie Freeman, and Stu Phillips (who also produced), and some of his Hogan's Heroes co-stars posed for the cover photo even though they do not appear on the album. Here is that album for you now! Enjoy!

Bob Crane Plays The Funny Side of TV

Super 8 Theater Presents: Star Wars

Here is the silent home movie version that I cried for when we went to a department store right after seeing the movie for the first time when I was a kid. I wanted it so badly but alas, didn't get it until I was well into my 30s. Enjoy!

See You On The Road in November!

Podcast 28

It appears that I am dishing out these podcasts every week! This will probably be the last one for a bit as my time is going to be limited over the next few weeks. But oh what a way to end our little run! This one is soooooooo Wacky! It features some really cool tracks and some really cool commercials and really cool "creations" and you will love it! Guaranteed! Be on the lookout for some "space themed" tunes (hence the artwork!) and a special ode to Dr. Seuss that I recorded back in 1997. This one is pretty cool if I do say so myself. See if you agree as you take a listen to Podcast #28! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #28

Podcast #27 - Bring on The Freakshow!

Yet another Podcast comes flying out of the gates and this time it gets weird! I spun so many odd ball moments into this that it definitely earns the title of "Wacky Podcast". With some great performances from Annette Funicello, the 5, 6, 7, 8's, Thurl Ravenscroft, Elvis Presley, Lesley Gore, Aimee Mann, Mickey Katz, The Osmonds, Leonard Nimoy, Dustin Hoffman & Warren Beatty, the Maggies, Duran Duran, the Ting Tings and much much more. All held together by one of my favorite Stan Freeburg tracks. Here is Podcast #27! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #27

Podcast 26 arrives!

I'm really enjoying doing these podcasts. It's becoming easier and easier to do them and the beauty of it is that I can work on them a little bit at a time and eventually, before I even realize it, I have a full one! This one features some great tracks from Barbi Benton, Black Sabbath, Dolly Parton, Fishbone, Barry Williams, the new Braodway cast of Evita, a live one from the Bangles, Monty Python, Cheap Trick, the Billy Nayer Show, Ween, Groucho Marx and many more. This one gets a little out there at times but hopefully manages to entertain. Also, as with the last one, this baby is ripped at 320 so the sound is huge! Here is podcast 26! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #26

P.S. - If anyone remembers the David Bowie clip that I used to use in my podcasts of him announcing "Thursday's Child" and knows where I can get a hold of it I would love to know. I seem to have lost it somewhere and can't find it. I would love to have it and start using it again. Thanks.

Podcast 25

Hot on the heels of podcast 24 is podcast 25! Fun for all with tracks from She and Him, the Breeders, Robert Gordon, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Elvis (re-imagined as a modern day pop star), Bill Cosby, Leonard Nimoy, Tom Jones (in a repeat performance from Podcast 23), Ruth Buzzi, Neko Case, Victor Borge, the Ramones, a special clip of Micky Dolenz performing live at Epcot Center from this past May (with yours truly on the drums) and much, much more! And for all of you audiophiles, this podcast is ripped at 320 to make it the best sounding one yet! Enjoy!!!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #25

Podcast 24!

Here is yet another brand new Podcast from the World of Wonder! Right in the heat of the summer comes this jam packed podcast full of clips from the likes of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Muffs, Elvis, Art Carney, Herman's Hermits, Steve Martin, Fishbone, Sonny and Cher and more! This one is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #24

Super 8 Theater Presents : Batman

Super 8 Theater makes a comeback on the World of Wonder with this classic Castle Films short, "Batman - Flying Spies". It's from 1943. Enjoy!

Podcast 23 Is Here!

Here's the latest podcast featuring all kinds of fun stuff! As I stated a while back, my schedule has become sooooo intensely busy that I have very little time to devote to the World of Wonder yet the podcasts are something that I can work on little by little so I will continue to do these. Thus these newer podcasts have a bit of a different feel to them. And also as I stated, they are pretty much straight forward audio clips, comedy and music without any dialogue from me. I just don't have the time. That being said, this podcast is really cool! Featuring songs from Cheap Trick, Carol King, Jame Minoudis (a friend and fellow Creamed Corn member), 'Til Tuesday (recently remastered and sounding amazing), Bill Cosby, T. Rex, Nirvana, Frank Zappa, John Travolta, Tom Jones and Jack White. With some comedy from Lawanda Page, Don Adams, Avery and Schrieber, and some cool mash-ups featuring Johnny Cash, ABBA, Van Halen and a really special performance from Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork from the Davy Jones Memorial Concert in NYC. And so much more! There's a lot packed into this one. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #23

Steve Martin Sells His Record

This is amazing!

Batgirl Fights the Never-ending Fight

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello all
I've debated for the past several months about what to do with the World of Wonder. I have very little time to devote to myself let alone the blog but I didn't want to end it. I tried something new by posting an e-mail address so that people could post items to share and make it more of a public blog. A majority of e-mail that I received was spam involving me inheriting millions of dollars from foreign investors, how to land single woman over 60 and how to make my penis larger. In between those were e-mails from people asking me to repost items that are no longer available. I had one person share something but I couldn't get the link to work. So, sadly, I am abandoning that part of the blog. I enjoy working on the blog and I do welcome comments and love hearing how people enjoy it. We recently hit the 200 subscriber part. I don't want to let it go entirely but I can't commit the time to it that I once did. I toyed with shutting the blog down but the one thing that I really wanted to keep going were my podcasts. I love them and love putting them together. I feel that by continuing to do these, I can still share great pop culture audio with all of you and still manage to keep the blog running. So, from here on in, I will be posting mostly new podcasts. Occasionally I may post an album or single or a video or what have you, but the majority of new items on the blog will be new podcasts. That being said, the reason I am downsizing to just podcasts is the lack of I time that I can donate to the blog. It's easy to put a series of songs, comedy bits, commercials, etc into a "mix tape" for a podcast but it takes time to sit down and speak to you through them as well. As a result, I will pretty much not be talking through any new podcasts that I post. If I find the time and feel like telling a funny story or two, I may one day set up my microphone and add some commentary but don't be surprised if you don't hear my voice in any of the new podcasts. In addition, it also takes time for me to tell you exactly what it is that I put into the podcasts and keeping track of it is just as time consuming as going back and listening to it to find out what is in it. So, don't expect a play list on the podcasts. If there is a specific track that you are interested in knowing, send me a comment asking about it and I will do my best to let you know who and what it is. Otherwise, treat it like listening to the radio and not hearing the DJ tell you what it is. Let it be what it is meant to be; entertainment for your ears.
In regards to all of the requests to re-up any past sharities that have dead links or are no longer working - all I can say is I'm sorry. I simply do not have time to go back and re-up any of them. Once they are gone, they're gone. Odds are they are out there on-line somewhere as the "sharity blog" community is a pretty incestuous bunch and we all re-use each other's items. Again, it's nothing personal, it's just that I have no time at all to do that. I wish I could go back and re-up everything that has been taken down but it doesn't look like that will happen in the immediate future.
So, thank you for helping me keep the World of Wonder alive and hopefully we can keep it going at least a little bit longer.
That being said, here is the newest podcast. Podcast 22 delivers a lot for your money. Featuring some great songs from William Shatner, Mi Carame, Barnes and Barnes, the Police, the Monkees/Adele and a heaping portion of comedy this time around. Enjoy!



Dartman's Wacky Podcast #22

Random Coloring Page of the Week

Here's this week's random coloring page. This time around it's from The Six Million Dollar Man coloring book. It's a great picture of the one and only, Oscar Goldman. What kid didn't want to color him?!

Random Coloring Page of the Week

Here's a new feature I thought I would try here at the World of Wonder. Each week I will post a different random coloring page from a vintage coloring book. This week we feature a coloring page from I Love Lucy. It's kind of creepy. What exactly is going on here? Click on the pic to get the full size version to download, print and color. Enjoy!

John Linnell Tours The States

I've always been a They Might Be Giants fan. And I mean always. I wasn't one of the people who found out about them through their "hits" when their album, "Flood", hit the charts. By that time, I had known about the duo of John Linnell and John Flansburgh for a couple of years already. I have been a fan since they first came about and I have probably seen them at least 100 times. In fact, there was a time when my wife and I were seeing them in New York on an almost weekly basis. It's amazing to me that they are still going strong and every time people count them out, they come back stronger than before. In 1999, John Linnell released a solo album entitled "State Songs". The whole concept to the album consists almost entirely of tracks that are named after, and are at least partially inspired by, 15 of the 50 U.S. states. But don't look for state facts or history lessons here. Unlike the TMBG song, "James K Polk" which gave us a history lesson, the songs on "State Songs" suggest that there is another West Virginia inside of the state, that one can drive a house to Idaho, that Montana is a leg, Iowa is a witch, Oregon is bad, and Arkansas has sunken and is to be replaced by a ship of its exact shape and size. Linnell's explanation of where the state names comes in is that he used them as a way of avoiding having to come up with song titles. After releasing the album, John hit the road and took his solo show to a few of the 50 states. Here's a rare treat that I have never seen anywhere else (in fact, I don't even know where I got them). They are two live shows of John Linnell performing the State Songs. The first one is from 1995 (pre-release of the album) at The Mercury Lounge in New York City. The second is from the tour that followed the album's release in 1999 from a performance at The Bowery Ballroom in New York. These shows are great and feature not only the great songs from the album but a few surprises as well. Enjoy! John Linnell - State Songs Live At The Mercury Lounge October 1995 / John Linnell - State Songs Live At The Bowery Ballroom 12/11/99

Jaimie Summers Sings

Well, not really. Instead we offer you this Power Records version of The Bionic Woman. Though not as successful as the Six Million Dollar Man Power Records, this album still stands up in terms of entertainment. As with the other Power Records, the original cast from the television show is not here. Instead a highly trained group of voice actors (many of whom appear on most other Power Records) take the task of telling the heroic stories of the Bionic Woman. Here it is for your listening enjoyment! Enjoy! Power Records - The Bionic Woman

Bruce Willis Scores A Jackpot

In the 80s, there was a period of time where Bruce Willis ruled the planet. Moonlighting was a gigantic hit and Seagrams Golden Wine Coolers had their theme song on every one's tongues. This was all pre-Die Hard and adventure star Willis. This was when Bruce Willis was considered a comedic actor. In the midst of all of this, HBO aired a Spinal Tap-esque mock-u-mentary called "The Return of Bruno". It featured Willis as Bruno (the actor's actual nickname), a rock and roll icon who had gone through good times and bad. I loved it and my friends and I were quick to go out and buy the accompanying album. The one thing we really missed on the album was the "psychedelic track", "No One's Home" that they spent a lot of time on in the show. With or without that track, the album is still fun and fits nicely in the celebrity record category. And it also fits nicely here at the World of Wonder. Here is Bruce Willis and The Return of Bruno. Enjoy! Bruce Willis - The Return of Bruno

PODCAST 21!!!!

Here's the newest Podcast coming your way. Lots of fun stuff plus I actually talk in this one! A whole lot of fun. Featuring the likes of Ringo Starr, Del Shannon, Dr. Westchesterson, Juliette Lewis, Prince, Groucho Marx, Tom Jones, Henny Youngman, Juday Garland and more! Enjoy!
Dartman's Wacky Podcast #21

Space: The Final Trek Cards

So back in January I posted what I thought was the complete set of Topps Star Trek cards from 1976. Until I received a comment from a follower of the blog stating that there were cards missing. Upon further inspection I realized that there was an entire file of cards that I had not posted. My bad. Anyway, here, at last, are the remaining cards. Rather than put them in separate packs I put them all in one giant file. Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Final Pack

Bionic Filmstrips

I'm just finishing up season one of The Bionic Woman and I have to say that I'm pretty surprised at how little the whole Bionics thing is used. Towards the end of the season, it gets a little bit better but for most of season one, Jaimie Summers uses her bionics for doing housework most of the time. Lindsay Wagner had made a conscious effort to make sure that the show never had someone getting hurt unless it was in self defense. It really shows up when she uses her bionics to pull a rug out from under someone holding her at gunpoint rather than throwing him across the room with her bionic arm. However, in the war against messy apartments, all bets are off as Jamie uses her bionics to the extreme by washing dishes, waxing floors and cleaning grime from the windows. Anyway, it made me start searching for Bionic Woman related items and I happened to come across this super cool set of "Give A Show" slides that someone posted on youtube. Upon further research, I found there is also a "Give-A-Show Blog" that features tons of these items. The blog is kept up as much as the youtube page so if you are really into tracking these down, I suggest you start there. For now, here's "The Bionic Woman Give-A-Show" slide sets! Enjoy!

RIP Davy Jones

It's with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the passing of a true icon. Having worked in "the organization" it touches me greatly and I am in an extremely sad mood today. My thoughts are with my good friends and Davy's family.

The Story of Marc

Here's an incredible BBC Documentary about Marc Bolan and T. Rex. It's narrated by the one and only, Suzi Quatro. Enjoy!

The Best of the World of Wonder: The Genius Of The Marx Brothers

The brothers Marx were by far the greatest comedy team ever! Their mad cap humor extended from the stage and screen right into their real lives! I have so much Marx Brothers stuff that I thought I would post this as a "starter kit" for those who are unknown to the genius of these fine gentlemen! It is actually not one of my personal favorites but it does showcase their comedic talents from their films. It's "The Marx Brothers :Actual Voice Tracks From Their Movies." This came out in the 70s as part of a series of old time film comedians' voice tracks from old movies. Enjoy!

The Marx Brothers: Actual Voice Tracks From Their Movies

The Best of The World of Wonder:The TV Guide Fall Preview circa 1978

There was a time when the first days of the fall were looked upon with eageriness in the world of television. TV Guide usually came out with their Fall Preview Issue and that was all a television junkie needed to keep themselves occupied for the next month. The fall preview showcased all of the new and returning shows on all three networks (remember, these were the great days of only ABC, CBS and NBC. All other channels were just reruns and old movie). Each show got its own page complete with a synopsis, promo photo and air dates. It was beautiful!
Which brings me to today's sharity.Here for you now, from the golden decade of the 70s comes the Peter Pan Records' "Themes From Hit TV Shows". This was a favorite album of mine then and now. It features studio musicians doing their versions of the popular themes of the day including Welcome Back Kotter, Happy Days, MASH, Chico and The Man, SWAT, Laverne & Shirley and Baretta among others. I present it for you now in all of it's original glory! Enjoy!

Themes From Hit TV Shows

The Best of The World of Wonder: Logan's Original Run

Since Rapidshare deleted a ton of my shares, the one that I get the most requests to re-up is, without a doubt, the audio from the advance screening of Logan's Run. So, as requested, here it is.


5 years from the day I was born, in San Diego, California, there was a special advance preview screening of a new motion picture from MGM called Logan's Run. Shortly thereafter the studio hacked a ton of stuff out of the movie to make it shorter, and gain the film a PG rating. The cut footage no longer exists (it vanished mysteriously along with the preview print)but thanks to a sci-fi fan named Fay Popejoy who took along a cassette tape recorder into the theater, an audio cassette exists containing the entire preview screening. This recording was originally released on a web site back in 2000. The web site is still there but the files have long since been taken down. Luckily, I happened to download those files and present them for you now. If you have seen the film, then you are in for a real treat. Included in this recording of the preview screening are several scenes that you have never seen bfore (or heard before to be exact). Among these are the deleted opening sequence where Francis kills a runner in a residence pool. The citizens then applaud the Sandman's shot. Other hilights include: A longer carousel sequence minus the computer voice, more dialogue in Nursery, Francis' 'lastday girl' cut completely form the film. There is also a part where Jessica talks about flameout as the ultimate thrill. Logan describes the effects of Muscle. Francis announces he is going to Cathedral to help backup Logan. We learn Holly's number is 13, and hear the infamous longer Love Shop sequence. Unfortunately the person doing the recording's tape also ran out during this sequence. Of course, the tape is changed and the rest of the film along with more cut goodies are there. Now, remember, this was a tape recording of a film being played in a theater in 1976. It is not going to sound perfect. But, none the less, it is still pretty cool to listen to. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to tape television shows on audio cassettes. This was long before the days of VCRs and DVRs so the only way to keep the program was to do that. I was extremely happy and very much surprised to find out that I was not the only person who did this. I have found many people from my generation who did this as well. Anyway, keeping all of this in mind when you are listening to the preview screening of "Logan's Run". Enjoy!

Logan's Run - Preview Screening Audio Tape (part 1)
Logan's Run - Preview Screening Audio Tape (part 2)

A New Podcast!!! A New Podcast!!!

After a long absence from them (and many requests) here is the latest podcast! In all fairness, this was done over the last few months and was actually almost complete before Christmas but I left it on the back burner. After all that time, I gave it the proper finishing touches but alas, did not have the time to add any spoken word sections aka dialogue from yours truly. So this time around, it's an all music podcast. It does feature some great songs from the likes of Blondie, Suzi Quatro, They Might Be Giants, The Muffs with CC Deville, The Beatles, the Kinks, Orson Bean and more. There's even a super cool phone message sent to me from a Sunoco station on the day of a snow storm (obviously a wrong number!) Here it is for your listening entertainment! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #20

"They're Cards, Jim!"

Sorry it's been a while since the last post, but things are hectic. Here is the final pack of cards for the 1976 TOPPS Star Trek Series. Complete with bonus stickers, this will make your set complete! (Of course, if you want the real deal, you can head to e-bay and spend a fortune on them - I prefer the cheap cyber way, myself. And hey, you can always print them out and collect them that way) Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Pack 6

An Enterprising Paper Project

Here's an interesting item: a do-it-yourself Enterprise made out of paper. All of the plans are here and even a few reference pictures. I have not made this yet but I plan on doing it. My son and I have craft time almost every day and this will come in handy someday soon. If you make one, send us a picture of your finished project. Here's all you need with the exception of the paper of course. Enjoy!

The Enterprise Paper Project

Trek Toys (re-post)

Back during one of the past Christmas seasons I ran a series of posts describing several of the toys that I received as a child at Christmas time. Seeing as how I am posting a series of Star Trek posts, I thought I would re-post the entry about the Star Trek toys of the 70s. Here it is:


Before Star Wars, there was of course, Star Trek. Don't get me wrong, Star Wars still rocks and the toys that they put out for Star Wars were and still are awesome. But the toys for Star Trek were a little more, I don't know, adult feeling. Take for instance the Star Trek Communicators.

These babies were real. Heavy plastic with real working walkie talkie parts! They came in a package of two and you could use these anywhere! What was really cool was when you hit the little red button on the side it made a high pitched squeal that if hit at the same time as the talk button, could be broadcast to the other communicator! How cool is that?!?!? I still have one of these communicators and it still works! I also had the super cool phaser gun that shot discs! This rocked as well. You loaded up the phaser with the discs (mine were multi-colored, not like the ones in the picture) and just pulled the trigger. Toys like this would never be approved today but back then, they were the best!!!! I'm sure my poor sister took many a plastic disc to the body and face from this plastic weapon.


The action figures for Star Trek were more like the old super hero action figures. They were tall and wore real uniforms complete with utility belts, tricorders and small phasers. Again, these small pieces would never pass inspection today. I had Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and a Klingon. These came with the Enterprise Playset!

This was an amazing toy! On the outside was a drawing of space with the Enterprise soaring through it. The inside was the bridge of the Enterprise, complete with Captain's Chair, Command Center and a screen that could be changed with various scenes of planets and aliens and such. The coolest feature was, without a doubt, the transporter. You would put an action figure in the transporter and spin the dial on the top. There were two buttons to stop the spinning. The red one put the action figure facing the outside while the green one put them facing the inside. Super cool!!!!!! This toy was designed really well because when you were done playing with it, you just folded it up with everything inside and stored it on the shelf (or on top of the toy chest in our house!)

The last Star Trek item I want to show you is the Telescreen Console. This was pretty cool. You could sit Captain Kirk (or any other character for that matter) in the Captain's Chair and then play a pseudo-video game where you would have to hit various asteroids and planets and such. It was pretty cool and from what I can tell, very rare. I haven't seen too many of these around, even on e-bay. They're hard to come by! Anyway, it provided me with lots of good times! A special thanks to Plastic Stallions and The Mego Museum for the pictures.

To Boldly Go Where No Cards Have Gone Before!

Here's the next pack of Topps Star Trek cards from 1976. I was noticing that I have not been consistent with the sticker to card ratio so as a result I have included bonus stickers in all of the remaining packs to complete the entire collection. Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Pack 5

Lt. Uhura, Song Report

Way back in 2009, I posted Nichelle Nichols' album, "Out of This World". In the post, I stated that this was her second album and that I did not own the first one, "Down To Earth". Since that time, I have come to own "Down To Earth" and thought I would share it with you all. I stated in the 09 post that I thought it might be pretty good. In my opinion, though it is way better than "Out of This World", it still sounds like someone who is trying way too hard. But all in all, not terrible. You decide when you listen to Nichelle Nichols' "Down To Earth". Enjoy!

Nichelle Nichols - Down To Earth

For some added enjoyment, here is the post from 2009 featuring "Out of This World".


Many Star Trek cast members have released albums over the years. There is the infamous "The Transformed Man" by William Shatner (along with the great follow up, "Has Been"), Leonard Nimoy's classic records and even Brent Spiner got in on the act in 1991 with an album called "Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back". But for my money, it doesn't get any more "far out" then Nichelle Nichols' musical contribution to the world of celebrity recordings. In all fairness, we must remember that Nichelle started out as a professional singer. Her first gigs were with some big time heavy weights named Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. This was all before she donned the infamous short red dress and went down in the history books as Lt. Uhura. And in 1967 she banked on this fame and released her first solo album entitled, "Down To Earth". 23 years later she would release her second album. That's the one we are going to talk about today! It's called "Out Of This Word" and believe me, it is! I have never had the privilege to hear "Down To Earth" but I have owned "Out of This World" for years. I picked up a copy back in the mid 90s and hold it in my collection but never put it on. I am going to assume that "Down To Earth" is not all that bad and that Nichelle really shines (if anyone has a copy, please feel free to share it with me as I will pay the favor forward forward and share it with everyone here). With "Out Of This World", Nichelle has completely gone in the opposite direction. Her singing is not the problem. It's also not the cure! However, what really tends to stick out more than anything is the poor songwriting and even worse production. The whole album sounds like it was put together with Casio Keyboards and a Tascam Porto-Studio. There's a whole batch of "space-inspired" songs and Nichelle evens takes a stab at singing the immortal Theme from Star Trek. Then there's "Gene". Nichelle's tribute to her former lover (yes, you read right!). There are two versions of "Gene" here. The first is sung and the second is spoken and both are bad. At the end of the album is an interview track that lasts just about the same amount of time as the songs do. All in all, a complete package. But don't let my opinion sway you. Take and a listen and judge for yourself as I present to you "Nichelle Nichols: Out of This World". Enjoy!

Nichelle Nichols - Out Of This World

BONUS:
While listening to the caucaphonus sounds of Miss Nichols, why not color Uhura?! (click picture to open a new window with the full size)

Sing Long and Prosper

Continuing on our Trek through Star Trek, we find a great listen with the incredible vocal stylings of Leonard Nimoy. Probably the most famous Nimoy song is The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. But there are others that are just as good if not better. My favorite happens to be the Spock infused, "Highly Illogical". That and many more appear on the classic album, "Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space". Instead of heading to outer space to hear this, you can do it right here at The World of Wonder. Enjoy!

Leonard Nimoy - Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space

To Seek Out Missing Cards and Needed Stickers

Here's the next pack of the 1976 Topps Star Trek Trading Cards. And as promised, I have made up for the lack of stickers in the last pack by providing 4 stickers in this pack. Super cool! Hope you're keeping track of which cards you have and need! Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Pack 4

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Trek

Today we get to see Mad Magazine take on Star Trek. In 1976 Mad Magazine turned Star Trek into a musical. This was back when Mad Magazine was still funny so it actually produces a few chuckles. Here is that wonderful parody complete with the sensational cover art featuring Kirk, Spock and Alfred E Numan holding arms in a kick line! Enjoy!

Mad Magazine's Star Trek Musial

It's 48 Card Mission

Here's the next pack of the 1976 Topps set of cards from Star Trek. Due to a slight technical glitch, this particular pack is missing the two stickers that I have been including in every pack. However, hang out until the next pack is posted and there will be four stickers coming your way. Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Pack 3

McTrek

I remember the first Happy Meal. It came out in conjunction with Star Trek The Motion Picture and was called a Star Trek Meal. I remember being so excited to get one. Mine was the one that had the transporter on the box. I kept that box forever. I don't know whatever happened to it. I think my parents finally threw it away years later. It was the coolest thing ever. And then came the Happy Meal and the rest is history. Here's a commercial for that super cool meal from way back when. Enjoy!

These Are The Trading Cards of the U.S.S. Enterprise

Here's the next pack of the super cool Topps trading cards from 1976. Over the years there have been several different sets of cards made by several different companies but I have always thought these cards were the best ones. They just look too cool. Decided for yourself when you pick up the next pack of cards and stickers. Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Pack 2

Jeff Wayne's Musical Trek

Continuing on with my Star Trek related posts, I re-upped one of my favorite albums of all time. Way back in the early days of the World of Wonder, I posted this album with this description:

This was one of my favorite albums as a kid and it still holds a giant place in my heart today! It's Jeff Wayne's Space Shuttle playing The Theme From Star Trek and The Planet of The Apes. It features funky versions of these tunes as well as the themes from Batman and Superman and a few original tunes that have titles such as "The Ape Planet" and "Beyond The Outer Limits".

As a kid, this was constantly on my turntable and whenever I put it on to this day, it makes me smile. Here it is for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Jeff Wayne's Space Shuttle - The Theme From Star Trek and the Planet of the Apes

Trading Cards . . . The Final Frontier

Just went through a recent Star Trek kick. Read William Shatner's "Star Trek Memories" and watched Season 1. Brought me back as I haven't actually watched an episode of the series in years. I used to love watching it every Sunday night with my dad when I was a youngster in the 70s. I have a lot of Star Trek items to share with you but I thought I would start off with a bit of Trading Card collecting. This time around its the Topps set from 1976. Here's the first pack for your collecting pleasure. Keep checking back for more cards and stickers from this great set! Enjoy!

Star Trek 1976 Trading Cards Pack 1

Gilda Is On The Air

I love Gilda Radner. I sooo wish she was still around. She never ceases to make me smile no matter what I watch that features her. In 1979 Gilda fulfilled a life-long dream to be on Broadway when she performed "Gilda Live" at the Winter Garden Theater. It was filmed and recorded and a year later it was released as an album and a film. Around that same time, Warner Brothers released a radio special to local stations across the country to promote the film. Since the LP was the way things were done back then, the radio stations received the album in the mail and then basically played it on the air, giving their listeners a "special event" to listen to. That album lovingly sits in my collection and I share it with you now. Here is that great interview with the wonderful, Gilda. Enjoy!

Warner Brothers Gilda Radner Interview Album

Jerry Lewis Dishes It Out To Count Basie

This is one of my all time favorite things in the world. My wife hates it. I think it's brilliant. I once saw a college band play it live to the film at a club in LA. The great, Emil Richards was sitting in with them. It was pretty cool.

Sammy & Buddy Kick It Into High Gear

One of the coolest and most exciting albums in my collection is an album featuring Sammy Davis Jr. with the Buddy Rich Orchestra recorded lived in Vegas in 1966. It is amazing. Record over two nights (or mornings) at the Sands lounge, this album is one of the best you will ever hear. Sammy is on fire. Buddy (as usual) is on top of it and the crowd is eating it up. I wish there was a video of this somewhere as it must have been one of the greatest shows to have been at. The shows started at 2:30 AM and were done as a special performance for the people who worked on the Vegas strip and would have been getting off of work at that time. All I can say is thank God they recorded it! You must check this out. Here's Sammy Davis Jr. and Buddy Rich with "The Sounds of '66". Enjoy!

Sammy Davis JR & Buddy Rich - The Sounds of '66

Happy New Year and Welcome to Year 7!

Wow! It's 2012 and the beginning of the 7th year that the World of Wonder has been on-line. Who would have thunk it?! However, I have some news for this year. As you may have noticed from last year, my personal and professional life has gotten so busy that I am not able to put the time into the World of Wonder that I used to. Which is actually a stark contrast to the fan base. Last year saw a shortage of posts but an increase of new fans and followers. I was debating on wether or not I should continue with the WOW and then I came up with an idea. The World of Wonder is GOING PUBLIC! What exactly does that mean? Here are the details: starting now I will accept posts and sharities from all of you. If you have something you would like to share on the World of Wonder, send me a little write-up and a download link and I will post it on the blog. If you have anything to share please send it to dartmansworldofwonder@yahoo.com and I'll make sure that it gets on the blog as long as it fits into the World of Wonder criteria. Obviously I won't post anything inappropriate such as porn or the like. And I will not, under any circumstances, post anything new and currently in print. I will continue to post various items from my personal collections and together we can keep the World of Wonder going for at least another year! Get those posts in and Happy New Year!!!!