January 15, 2009
Ronnie Lane R.I.P. [CLIPS: SMALL FACES + PETE TOWNSHEND + MEHER BABA + WIVES MOURN Ronnie Lane's Passing]
An excerpt of a TV special from England on the great Ronnie Lane.
Thanks to Eel Pie, Meher Baba film Archive MEFA and Pete Townshend
Don Arden's Hello Hollywood: World's Largest Stage Show
In 1978, the largest show ever produced on-stage came to Reno and the world. Don Arden's Hello Hollywood, Hello featured a landing 737 jet, a massive earthquake, three-story waterfall, levitating space dome complete with aliens and an eerily beautiful Space Queen, not to mention a cast of 150 singers and dancers on a massive 1 acre sized stage! Hello Hollywood, Hello ran for nearly 13 years. It was seen by more than six million people. During its run, more than 600 different entertainers appeared in the show and featured such celebrity headliners as Carol Channing, Susanne Summers, Carol Lawrence and many more! Over seven million dollars was spent on the scenery and the 1,273 costumes. The producer, Don Arden, was considered the king of all show spectaculars. The dancers were hand-picked by Miss Bluebell herself Margaret Kelly - the grand dame of showgirls who first met Don Arden at the Lido in Paris.
The amazing sets were constructed off location, primarily in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They were then re-assembled in Reno. It was a large operation with carpenters and assistants hired for weeks of assembly work.The San Francisco earthquake struck the grand stage nightly. The skyline was created out of boards and hinges, and to the accompaniment of fireworks, smoke and plenty of screams from the cast, the skyline trembled and fell — simulating the earthquake of 1906.
Also figuring prominently in the show was a Donn Arden staple, the grand staircase! There singers descended night after night, crooning love songs to the elaborately coifed showgirls.
ANDREW LOOG OLDHMAM + DON ARDEN + SMALL FACES: (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me [IN STUDIO INTERVIEW] + Sharon Osbourne
Andrew Loog Oldham and Don Arden [interviewed]
Small Faces [IBC studio, recording]
(Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me
24 July 2007
Sharon Osbourne is today mourning the death of her father, known throughout the music world as 'The Al Capone of Pop'.
Don Arden, a pop manager known for his notoriously tough reputation that turned him into one of the most successful managers of his generation, died on Saturday at the age of 81.
Sharon Osbourne and her father Don Arden
He has been familiar to most modern day audiences as the father of TV star Sharon.
However, he is also known for building the careers of 1960s and 70s rock bands such as the Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath - who were led by Sharon's husband Ozzy Osbourne.
Rock band manager Don Arden was known as the Al Capone of Pop
His reputation as one of the toughest men in the business put to shame most of the hell-raising antics of the acts that he managed.
Most famously he was the man who terrorised fellow manger Robert Stigwood by dangling him out of a fourth floor window for daring to steal one of his acts.
The incident soon became part of showbusiness legend, with Arden even speculating that it would be immortalised of his gravestone.
He clearly enjoyed playing up to his legend as a tough operator, even being known to stub his lighted cigar into the forehead of another rival, Clifford Davis.
Arden appeared to be proud of his unorthodox tactics, declaring happily on one occasion that "the people I scare are going to have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives".
However, he never enjoyed quite the same level of respect with his daughter Sharon. He filed a $1million law suit against her after she tried to break the recording contract of her husband Ozzy Osbourne, whom Arden continued to manage after Black Sabbath.
The pair only spoke for the first time in 20 years when they were reunited in 2001, when Arden enjoyed a walk-on role in Sharon's reality TV show, The Osbournes.
Arden, born Harry Levy in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, in 1926 was the son of a raincoat maker. His father, Lazarus was said to have wanted his son to join him in the profession.
However, Arden had always targeted a career in showbusiness as he grew up, and turned to management in the mid 1950s after failing to succeed as a comedian.
Before his death he moved between his homes in Beverly Hills and Surrey.
His wife predeceased him and he is survived by a son in addition to his daughter Sharon.
Harry "The Hipster" Gibson [SOUNDIE]
A cool little soundie with Harry "The Hipster" Gibson and some Lindy Hop'n hep cats in zoot suits!
SINGING THE BLUES X 6 [Mimi Roman + Dave Edmunds + Tommy Steele + Marty Robbins + guy mitchell + Freddie Hart]
Mimi Roman - Singing the Blues
Dave Edmunds - Singing The Blues
Tommy Steele - Singing The blues
Marty Robbins: Singing The Blues (1957)
guy mitchell - singing the blues - 1956
Freddie Hart - Singing the Blues
Pääkköset - Rock 'n' rollin' kuningas [Turussa osattiin räppäillä humoristisesti jo vuonna -89]
Turussa osattiin räppäillä humoristisesti jo vuonna -89.
Musta Pantteri [finnish licorice]
Vanha mainos, jossa Jyräys Hämäläinen mainostaa Pantteri salmiakkia.
Traffic [Peter Cook + Dudley Moore: 'Goodbye Again' Show 1968 - Stevie Winwood]
This is Traffic performing on Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's Goodbye Again TV show in 1968
January 14, 2009
Alcohol and Drug Addiction [Educational PSA Video]
Anti-Alcohol Video PSA. Public domain public service announcement. Alcoholism is a chronic disease that makes your body dependent on alcohol. You may be obsessed with alcohol and unable to control how much you drink, even though your drinking is causing serious problems with your relationships, health, work and finances. It's possible to have a problem with alcohol, but not display all the characteristics of alcoholism. This is known as alcohol abuse, which means you engage in excessive drinking that causes health or social problems, but you aren't dependent on alcohol and haven't fully lost control over the use of alcohol. Although many people assume otherwise, alcoholism is a treatable disease. Medications, counseling and self-help groups are among the therapies that can provide ongoing support to help you recover from alcoholism. Alcoholism is a disease. It is often diagnosed more through behaviors and adverse effects on functioning than by specific medical symptoms. Only 2 of the diagnostic criteria are physiological (those are tolerance changes and withdrawal symptoms). Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are associated with a broad range of medical, psychiatric, social, legal, occupational, economic, and family problems. For example, parental alcoholism underlies many family problems such as divorce, spouse abuse, child abuse and neglect, welfare dependence, and criminal behaviors, according to government sources.
Carol Burnett:"Drink, Drank, Drunk" [1975: PBS Special WQED Pittsburgh]
In this first section of a 1975 PBS special produced by flagship station WQED Pittsburgh, Carol Burnett describes common misconceptions about alcoholics, Morgan Freeman appears with the first of several "Fast Facts," and the first few minutes of a comedy sketch, a seeming parody of game shows with Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor are shown, titled "You Waste Your Life!" are shown. This hour-long special was originally telecast circa October 1975. It has information in it that is still relevant.
Following the dramatic sketch, an old song is performed by singer Linda Hopkins; "There's A Tavern In The Town." Is anyone familiar with this singer and song? Only one other person I've talked to remembers this song. This is followed by a third "Fast Fact" from Morgan Freeman, then another monologue from Carol Burnett leading into a look at a formal alcoholism program in the Scovill Manufacturing Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. There is also a profile film of an employee who took part in the program.
This section of the 1975 hour-long PBS special has the conclusion of the "You Waste Your Life!" sketch, and an alcoholism quiz conducted by E.G. Marshall. By the way, the "You Waste Your Life!" emcee is played by who died earlier this year; Ron Carey
In this section of the hour-long 1975 PBS special, Carol Burnett tells what the scores on the quiz would mean as far as rating an alcoholism problem, gives advice on what to do about an alcoholic, Morgan Freeman appears again with a second "Fast Fact," then after more advice from Carol, we see this discussion group led by Dr. Harold H. Mosak of people related to alcoholics
After the discussion group, Carol Burnett returns with relating an event in history to advice as to what to do if nothing can be done to help the alcoholic. This is followed by a dramatic sketch with Larry Blyden, Ellen Madison, Stanley Grover, and Maeve McGuire. McGuire is the only one of the four cast members in the sketch that is still living today. She is probably best known for being on the soap opera "The Edge Of Night."
The last section of this 1975 hour-long PBS special has Morgan Freeman presenting another "Fast Fact," he presents another one a little later after Carol Burnett dispenses advice on getting help with alcoholics. Carol Burnett returns with a little more advice. Then comes E.G. Marshall reading a disturbing poem; "My Papa's Waltz," drawings from children of alcoholics with their voices sharing their stories, final thoughts from Carol Burnett, then the closing credits. Heads-up warning: For those scared by closing logos, this contains the 1971 PBS I.D. at the end.
Here are the lyrics to the theme song:
Despair was my companion,
Fear my constant friend,
And peace and joy and loving I'd never see again.
You can drink your bourbon, your whiskey and your wine. I can't help you with your problem. I can learn to live with mine.
And hope came flowing through my sorrow, like water through a sieve. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
I'm really proud to live!
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