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.

Countdown to 2012

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2010: Day 14

Today we have a special treat in our Advent Calendar. It's an original post that I guarantee you will not find anywhere else! It's the Laverne and Shirley Christmas Album! What's that? You say you never heard of it? Because it never existed until now! In the second season of Laverne and Shirley, the team of Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams did their obligatory Christmas episode entitled, "Christmas Eve At The Booby Hatch". It revolved around Carmine asking everyone if they would help out and perform in a talent show at a hospital on Christmas Eve. They all agree only to find that the hospital in question was a psych ward. Hilarity ensues. The great part of this special is the talent show itself. I was originally going to just rip the Lenny and The Squigtones number from the show and post that. However, I realized two things: 1) the other performances in the show were just as worth having & 2) the show could actually work as an old time radio show. It follows the same story that a lot of the Old Time Radio shows used. I had to make a few snips here and there to take out some of the physical comedy that didn't read without the video but all in all, the show works as an audio play. Here for you now, on this special 14th day of our Advent Calendar is "The Laverne and Shirley Christmas Album". Enjoy!

The Laverne and Shirley Christmas Album

For more sit-com holiday goodies, head over to Check The Cool Wax! He's got some great audio clips from classic holiday episodes! Tell him the Dartman sent you!

Classic Television Episode of the Month: The Archie Show

ELVIS Month 2010: The King Kids in The Studio

Following up with our post from a couple of days back with the soundtrack EP from "Kid Galahad", today we deliver what it was like to be in the studio recording that EP and other songs used in the film. Here, direct from those sessions, is another volume in the "Master & Session" series. Here is "Kid Galahad: Master & Session". Enjoy!

Kid Galahad Master & Session Vol 1
Kid Galahad Master & Session Vol 2

ELVIS Month 2010: The King Kids In The Ring

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. I was in travel hell due to a certain airline's lack of competence but we need not discuss that. What we can discuss is the era of the Elvis soundtrack EP. Back when Elvis movies were more common on the big screen, there were a few soundtracks that never saw an LP release. Instead, six songs from the film would be released as an EP and that would be the only way to get even close to owning any music from the film. The great thing about this is that you still only spent the price of a single and you could get 6 songs. The bad thing was that you only got six songs from the film. One of these "EP soundtracks" was for the film "Kid Galahad" in 1962. It was a kitchy remake of a 1937 film that starred Edward G Robinson, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. Elvis' version was not quite as tough as the original but it still boasted the legendary Charles Bronson in the cast as well as the first screen appearance of Ed Asner. Anyway, the soundtrack was typical Elvis movie fair but sounds great. Here is that original EP soundtrack from 1962. Here is "Kid Galahad". Enjoy!

Kid Galahad Soundtrack EP

Classic Television Episode of the Month: The Partridge Family

Check out this cool episode from the first season! Be on the lookout for the musical performance where David Cassidy's hair switches from long and parted in the middle to cut without bangs and back again!

The Quicker Male Hater

The people in my generation have no idea who you are talking about when you mention the name Nancy Walker. However, if you say "The Bounty Lady from the 70s" we all know that you are talking about Rosie. Long before she was the spokesperson for Bounty, appearing as Rosie, the Diner waitress, Nancy Walker was a bonafide star. Though she was only four feet, ten inches tall and difficult to cast, she managed to land a role on Broadway in the 1941 show, Best Foot Forward. The role provided Walker with her film debut when a film version, starring Lucille Ball, was filmed in 1943. A subsequent appearance was in the MGM musical, Broadway Rhythm, in which she had a featured musical number, "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet".
She continued acting throughout the 1940s and 1950s and her appearances in musicals led to record releases. Soon after that came television guest appearances and recurring roles, providing her with steady work. Her career spanned five decades, and included comedies, dramas and television variety shows such as The Garry Moore Show and The Carol Burnett Show. In 1970, she secured a recurring role as Emily the housekeeper in the hit situation comedy Family Affair starring Brian Keith. Also that year, Walker made her first appearance playing Ida Morgenstern, the mother of Valerie Harper's Rhoda Morgenstern during the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1974, when the MTM spinoff series, "Rhoda" premiered, Walker joined the cast as a regular. She was also a regular on the successful Rock Hudson detective series McMillan and Wife, playing Mildred. These two roles brought her seven Emmy Award nominations. She also tried her hand at directing which included episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda and Alice. In fact, she is the director responsible for the 1980 pseudo-autobiographical musical "Can't Stop the Music", which tells the tale of The Village People. The film was a box office failure but has since become a cult favorite. This was the only theatrical film ever directed by Walker. One of Walker's last major film roles was as the deaf maid, Yetta, in the 1976 all-star comedy spoof Murder by Death. She continued to remain active in show business until her death, playing Rosie in the Bounty commericals. She helped make the product's slogan, "The Quicker Picker Upper", a common catchphrase. Today, we pay tribute to that loveable little lady with her 1959 release, "I Hate Men". Backed by Sid Bass and his orchestra, it features such show tunes as "I'm Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair" and "You Irritate Me So". I listened to this last week and it put a smile on my face. I hope it does the same to you. Enjoy!

Nancy Walker-I Hate Men

The February of Frank: The First Comic Strip Operetta

On February 15, 1945, Frank appeared on an episode of the Armed Forces Radio Network's "Command Performance". Frank had appeared on the show many times and with many other great stars of the day, but this particular broadcast was special. The radio show presented "Dick Tracy In B Flat," or "For Goodness Sakes, Isn't He Ever Going To Marry Tess Trueheart?" Billed as "the world's first comic strip operetta", it featured a roster of stars bigger than any other radio show or film at the time. It starred Bing Crosby as Dick Tracy, Dinah Shore as Tess Trueheart, and Bob Hope as Flattop Jones. Alongside them were Jerry Colonna as the police chief, Frank Morgan as Vitamin Flintheart, Jimmy Durante as The Mole, Judy Garland as Snowflake Falls, The Andrews Sisters as The Summer Sisters—May, June & July, Cass Daley as Gravel Gertie, Harry Von Zell as the narrator and the one and only Frank Sinatra as Shaky. Another odd fact about this show is that instead of the usual half hour running time of "Command Performance", this show was extended to an hour. The show was a hit and has become one of the golden moments of the radio era but for some unknown reason was never rerun. Here at the World of Wonder, we present the original broadcast for you in its entirety. Here is "Dick Tracy in B Flat". Enjoy!

Dick Tracy In B Flat or For Goodness Sakes, Isn't He Ever Going To Marry Tess Trueheart?

Tricks & Treats 09: Drew's Great Uncle Lionel Gives Us A Treat

In case you have no clue about the history of the great Barrymore family, Drew Barrymore is not the first member of her family to become a household name. She comes from a long line of theater and film royalty. Her great-grandparents Maurice Barrymore and Georgie Drew Barrymore, Maurice Costello and Mae Costello (née Altschuk) and her grandparents John Barrymore and Dolores Costello were all actors. John Barrymore was arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation. She is the grandniece of Ethel Barrymore and Helene Costello, the great-great-granddaughter of John Drew and actress Louisa Lane Drew, and the great grandniece of silent film actor/writer/director Sidney Drew. She is also the god-daughter of director Steven Spielberg and Sophia Loren. For today's post, we're going to focus on her Great Uncle Lionel Barrymore. Back in 1945, Lionel produced a stage show at the Hollywood Bowl to coincide with the holiday of Halloween. He wrote the story as well as the music and titled it, "Hallowe'en: A Musical Fantasy". The story deals with a little girl named Myrtle who has a dream involving a big bear in the woods who steals little children. Two years later, MGM records released the "theater piece" as a children's book and record set which contained 3 78 RPM records and a story book (this was a popular concept at the time and it would eventually evolve into the book and record sets of the 60s, 70s and 80s.) It's a bit on the bizarre side but is worth a listen. I present it for you now. Here is Lionel Barrymore's "Hallowe'en: A Musical Fantasy". Enjoy!

Lionel Barrymore-Hallowe'en: A Musical Fantasy

Tricks & Treats 09: A Strange and Fascinating Journey

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has quite the history. We all know the story of how it bombed and then became a midnight hit at theaters all over the world. But do you know the story of the soundtrack? When the film was originally released, the film itself boasted a mono soundtrack. The accompanying album was released in stereo and contained different mixes and vocals from the film version. This is not that uncommon a practice in the world of film soundtracks. There are many albums that feature different takes than the ones used in the film. However, when the film finally saw a release on the home video market in 1990, Fox commisioned a stereo version of the film soundtrack. This was done by Chace Productions who created the "new mix" by using the soundtrack album and the original mono audio from the film. This frustrated many fans and also created some weird "out-of-synch" moments in the musical numbers. When the film came to DVD in 2000, Chace Productions was given the original 24-track music master and the original mono audio mix to create a 5.1 surround sound mix. At the same time, were also able to put the original mono track back into the film to give viewers a choice of which version they would like to "hear". Personally, I like pretty much every mix that I can get my hands on as I love this film and the music that goes with it. But there are definite variations in the mixes. For example: in the mono mix of "Science Fiction / Double Feature", Richard O'Brian's voice is predominant over the music and the saxophone plays throughout the song as opposed to the stereo mix where it comes in at the end. In "Over at the Frankenstein Place" the backing chorus are completely different takes in the different versions. In the mono version of "The Time Warp", you can hear Magenta hiss and moan throughout the song. See if you can notice these and other differences when you take a listen to The Mono Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack! Here it is for you now. Enjoy!

The Rocky Horror Picture Show OST MONO

September of Soundtracks: The Whole Buggin' Ever Lovin' Street

Today's post is not an actual soundtrack but rather an interpretation of a soundtrack. West Side Story, in my opinion, is the greatest musical work of the twentieth century. I've played the show twice, seen the movie at least a hundred times and listened to the original soundtrack album about five times that. Whenever someone does a "songs from West Side Story" album, I usually listen to it and deem it no where near the soundtrack. The only one that ever caught my ear was one by a punk band named Schlong. Schlong first came into being around 1988. The band performed in the Oakland County area often, mostly at warehouse parties under various names. The name Schlong did not appear until sometime later, taken from the name of a cat the band saw often. In 1996, they released their one and only record, "Punk Side Story", a drunken punk rock version of West Side Story. Schlong basically got together with a whole bunch of their friends and decided to record a drunken, spastic version of West Side Story in its entirety. The results are just hysterical, with not one stone left unturned. Schlong and company retell this modern day Romeo and Juliet story, only with more of an absurd twist. Everything from their sloppy rendition of the "Jet Song" to the male/female dual screaming of "Tonight" to "I Feel Pretty," which is led by an off key baritone and screechy vocals, can all be found here. But the highlight is "Dance at the Gym," which jumps from sloppy speed metal to danceable ska to country to a slow-dance love ballad. This deserves a listen by everyone who is a fan of West Side Story. Which is why I present it to you today. Here is "Punk Side Story". Enjoy!

Schlong-Punk Side Story

September of Soundtracks: A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place

Since we're on a roll with Burt Reynolds' soundtracks, I thought why not post the soundtrack from the film version of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". For all intense purposes, the film is horrible. It just did not transcend well to the screen. At least not the way they made it back in 1982. In addition to Burt as the sheriff, there's the great Dolly Parton as Miss Mona and Dom Deluise as Melvin P. Thorpe. The soundtrack boasts the same songs as in the stage version with the addition of two new original songs by Dolly: "Sneakin' Around" and "I Will Always Love You". Dolly's original version of I Will Always Love You blows away that god awful remake by Whitney Houston. Anyway, as bad as the film is, how can you go wrong with the soundtrack? Especially with Burt Reynolds singing! You be the judge when you listen to "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". Enjoy!

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas OST