Yes, it’s another isolated song from a version of A Christmas Carol which I have previously reviewed in its entirety. From An All Dogs Christmas Carol it’s Clean Up Your Act as the Scrooge stand-in (Carface Caruthers) begs the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to give him some hope.
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THE TERRIBLE SUBMARINE (1901) – Written by THE Archibald Williams. The Teredo, a souped-up, futuristic submarine is roaming the high seas preying on the world’s shipping at will. The speed and weaponry of the vessel and its anonymous Captain outclass anything that anyone else has in use.
Marcus Hammersley, a young British inventor, designs and oversees the construction of the Otter, a super-submarine of his own. The Otter is outfitted with the inventor’s innovative sensor equipment – including what we would today call sonar. Hammersley believes his vessel’s engines can propel the Otter faster than the mysterious Teredo once his sensors help him locate the pirate sub. Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog’s Christmas Carol-A-Thon for 2017 continues! This time around I’m examining a 1965 production from California PBS station KCET. The title may not sound action-packed and appealing but Dr Frank Baxter was to the 1950s and 1960s what Carl Sagan and The Reduced Shakespeare Company were to later decades.
Just as The Reduced Shakespeare Company made the works of the Bard of Avon more accessible and therefore more popular among non-Shakespeare fans Dr Baxter’s Shakespeare on TV series inspired younger generations to take an interest in the works of the great Elizabethan playwright.
And like Carl Sagan’s series Cosmos made him a virtual rockstar of the scientific field Dr Baxter’s entertaining and educational Bell Laboratory Science Series of film shorts made him enormously popular among teachers and students in every school that used those shorts as classroom aids. The Bell Laboratory Science Series educational shorts were so effective and beloved they were still being used in the 70s and 80s.
This black & white hour-long holiday special features Baxter at a Continue reading
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MISSISSIPPI BOWL – This was the National Championship game in the NJCAA. The top ranked EAST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE LIONS did battle with the number 2 team in the nation – the ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE MATADORS. At Halftime the Lions were on top of the Matadors 14-7 and by the end of the 3rd Quarter the score stood at 28-21 in favor of the Lions. From there East Mississippi College held on for a 31-28 win and their 4th title in the last 7 years. * THE LIONS ARE NJCAA CHAMPIONS *
MIDWEST BOWL CLASSIC – The (7) INDEPENDENCE COLLEGE PIRATES squared off against the (4) NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M GOLDEN NORSEMEN in this debut edition of the Midwest Bowl Classic. The Pirates grabbed a 7-0 lead in the 1st Quarter but the Golden Norsemen cut that to a 17-14 edge by the break. From there Independence College outscored their opponents 13-6, winning the game by a score of 30-20. Continue reading
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Christmas Carol-A-Thon 2017 continues here at Balladeer’s Blog! These neglected songs from various versions of A Christmas Carol have proven pretty popular so here’s another. From the fairly blah Shower of Stars tv presentation of A Christmas Carol from 1954 it’s the song A Very Merry Christmas.
Part of the fun comes from the fact that the song is sung by Ray Middleton, who went on to play Colonel Thomas McKean in the theatrical release of the musical 1776. Middleton played Nephew Fred and the Ghost of Christmas Present in this Christmas Carol.
This song is just so-so, but if you’re like me you’re desperate for new background songs to sprinkle in during Christmas Time get-togethers. Some of these out-of-the-way songs from Carol adaptations are ideal.
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*** NAIA ***
FIRST SEMIFINAL – It took DOUBLE OVERTIME for a victor to be determined in this clash between the 2nd seeded REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES (should be the Rottweilers) and the 5 seeds – the SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY RAIDERS (should be the Sea Gulls). The Eagles parlayed a 14-7 1st Quarter lead into a 21-7 advantage by Halftime. From there the Raiders forced Overtime with a 24-24 tie. One extra session wasn’t enough (31-31) but after the 2nd, Reinhardt University advanced to the December 16th title game by a score of 37-34.
SECOND SEMIFINAL – The top seeded Defending National Champions – the UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS – hosted the 3rd seeded MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS. The Cougars exploded for a 19-3 lead in the 1st Quarter, with the Mustangs cutting that to a 19-10 difference at the break. That became a mere 25-20 edge as the 3rd Quarter ended. An action-packed 4th Quarter finished with the University of Saint Francis triumphant, 43-36. It will be USF vs Reinhardt U on December 16th!
*** DIVISION TWO ***
FIRST QUARTERFINAL – The Regional 6 seeds – the UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS – are still stunning the nation in their young football program’s FIRST appearance in the D2 postseason. A 7-7 tie with the top seeded UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAAMA TIGERS in the 1st Quarter became a 14-7 Tigers edge at the Half. The 3rd Quarter saw the Argonauts go on top 21-14, while in the 4th the teams exchanged Touchdowns for a 28-21 Upset. In just their 2nd year, the University of West Florida is headed for the Semifinals! Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog’s Eighth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues! Back in the 2012 edition I reviewed Rich Little’s Christmas Carol, his 1978 television special. In that review I mentioned impressionist Little’s earlier, shorter, stand-up version of the special in which he used the voices of entirely different celebrities for the characters in A Christmas Carol.
This time around I will look at that 1963 AUDIO version. Rich Little had compiled the piece over the course of years, stretching back to his days as a DJ when he would ad-lib much of the material.
A historical footnote is the fact that – since Rich Little prepared the material far in advance of Christmas – he used the voice of John F Kennedy for the Ghost of Christmas Present. The record album version was released mere days after JFK’s assassination. Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog has already examined all the major gods and goddesses of the Inuit so here is a look at another one of their mythical heroes. For my initial list of Inuit deities click HERE
ILAGANIQ – The Inuit hero Ilaganiq was born in the village of Imitchaq, which was famous for being right near the edge of a cliff overlooking the Bering Sea. Ever since he was very young Ilaganiq and his brothers were subjected to extensive physical conditioning by their father.
Ilaganiq’s father Aapaang hoped that one of his sons would be the hero to destroy the Amikuk, or “the Skin Octopus” a monster which terrorized the region. The creature was called the Skin Octopus because of its flat body, like a seal-skin stretched and drying in the sun.
Despite its flat body the beast had tentacles like a traditional octopus and it had caused much loss of life as well as many sunken kayaks and umiaks. Aapaang’s youngest son Ilaganiq had been born with webbed hands and feet, making him the fastest swimmer of the family. Continue reading
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Balladeer’s Blog’s Eighth Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon presents another song from the live-action musical The Stingiest Man in Town. This one is titled The Christmas Spirit and is another hit from the soundtrack that became a Christmas time staple.
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A JETSON CHRISTMAS CAROL (1985) – Christmas Carol-A- Thon 2017 continues here at Balladeer’s Blog! This 1985 animated version of the Dickens classic incorporates the characters from the Hanna Barbera program The Jetsons. They were a family who were the far-future counterparts of the Stone Age family The Flintstones.
A Jetsons Christmas Carol is not very good but it’s a lot better than the irritatingly awful Flintstones Christmas Carol. If you know the characters you can fill in the blanks yourself:
George Jetson is the substitute for the novel’s put-upon Bob Cratchit, and finds himself ordered to work very late on Christmas Eve, disappointing his wife Jane and their kids Elroy and Judy. Continue reading
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