"but where are the lumps...?"

Kickin' off the Turkey Season with a favorite commercial from back in the day. Not necessarily a Thanksgiving TV ad, but it's about gravy... and that spells turkey to me.

"it's whisky, I can taste it... it's whisky!"

Oliver Reed is one of my favorite actors. Even in my early childhood I remember knowing who this ballsy Englishman was. He first came to my attention after watching a TV afternoon matinee of the Hammer classic Curse of the Werewolf. I was a tremendous Hammer fan, and the regular Hammer cast members were pretty much an automatic on the list of actors-I-think-do-clearly-rule. But there was something else about Reed that drew me to him. He was intensely frightening, but at the same time a gentlemens' gentleman.



In a random youtube search for Shelly Winters (it's fun to random search on youtube!!), I came across this bizarre exchange between Ms. Winters (another of my favorite actors -- thus the random youtube search) and Mr. Reed. It happened on the Late Show, where both were guests of Johnny Carson's. Neither had worked with the other, nor had they met previously. But, the fireworks were almost instantaneous.



How could they NOT rub each other the wrong way? She was a very vocal feminist from way back, and he was a firm and outspoken believer that the woman's place was in the kitchen.



What's most enjoyable about this videotaped tiff between egos is the ferocity that juxtaposes the civility. Winters whole persona is one of crassness -- her roles are littered with woman who speak their minds -- but she is still apologetic for her exuberant interruptions. And Reed is simply the typical English gentleman, who can shush her without ever uncrossing his proper legs. In a pop culture world riddled with celebrity feuds between adults who shoot out insults that would make a 7th Grader roll her eyes, it's great to see a couple egos be genuinely entertaining while bickering.

scarecrows are creepy

Easily, one of the most treasured memories of my childhood was of the Disney flick The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh -- aka Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow.

Scarecrow was one of those TV memories I held onto tightly-- vivid images of the Scarecrow, his face covered by a very creepy sack-mask, riding atop his horse, chasing through eerie moonlit English countrysides. I'd only watched the program once, but man did it stick with me for a long long time.

In the early 60s, NBCs Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (aka The Wonderful World of Disney) ran The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh for the first time as a 3-part miniseries. Then, over the next several years, released the program again as a theatrical release (as Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow) and as another freshly edited 2-part TV miniseries.

It wasn't until the later 90s that I was able to catch another glimpse of the sinister sack-faced man of my nightmares, when after loads of tooling around on the Internet, I found some other Scarecrow lovers who had copies of the Dr. Syn Disney movie. It wasn't the miniseries, but heck, it was something! And I absolutely appreciated seeing Patrick McGoohan dawn his scarecrow mask, once again.

Then, by all coincidences, I discovered, via a website dedicated to all things Dr. Syn, that the Disney Channel was going to re-air the miniseries in its original 3-part glory!! I was never a fan of Disney (I actually despised them when I was a little tyke), but man, was I pleased with them that day. I ran out and got the digital cable, so we could get the Disney Channel, and hooboy, I was in heaven. Color me Disney!



The nightmarish landscapes and bleak lighting really attracted me. It was programming such as this (along with Dark Shadows, Land of the Giants, The Avengers, etc...) that began to shape my tastes for the macabre and off-beat. I was already a fan of the bizarre and the macabre, having been a fan of Vincent Price and Hammer Horror, and even though there was no supernatural goings-on in Scarecrow, I still enjoyed the hell outa the program for its Halloween-like atmosphere. And those masks! Man o man!! Dr. Syn's scarecrow sack was brilliant, with the Frankenstein stitching and oddly shaped eye sockets, but the mask that really sent the chills up and down my squirmy spine was the owl mask, worn by one of Syn's cohorts. Jeezymaude that thing was creepy. I wanted so bad to have one for Halloween, with all the feathers and the little pointed beak. Something about it really blew me away.

It wasn't until I started looking for copies of the TV program on the Internet that I discovered Dr. Syn, the Scarecrow, was based on a series of books by author Russell Thorndike. And you know what else I found out? That I didn't give a hoot about that!! I wasn't big into swashbuckling stuff (give me a scary pirate like Blackbeard over a Scarlet Pimpernel anyday), so Dr. Cleggs legendary swordplay wasn't lighting me up like the monstrous masks worn by McGoohan and gang.

For a real treat, check out this comicbook over at Beware, There's A Crosseyed Cyclops In My Basement!!!

This little gem below is from the fine folks over at The Give-A-Show Blog. Go give 'em some love!!



Have a groovy day, cats!!
Mr. Miller

why i didn't care to go see star wars that summer ( or why i love sorcerer)

The Summer of 1977… That was the summer when everything changed. After those few sunny, splendid months movies had changed forever. Marketing changed. Even the movie goers changed – a whole new generation of fanatics were born, sprung from the fertile imagination of one filmmaker. A generation of fans so enthusiastic, so rabid that they would one day, and forever after, alter the way movies were brought to the screen (or not brought to the screen). That was the summer of Star Wars. And it was the worst thing that happened to me.

I can’t say that I hated Star Wars, ‘cause I didn’t, really. It’s more a kill-the-messenger kinda thing. After that first outer space cowboy chase, or that iconic bzzwert of the light saber ©, I could see that filmmaking would become something different, pushing style over substance. I saw the writing on the wall… or rather, the writing on the screen, scrolling off into space.

I may have been just a 14 year-old kid from upstate NY, with only a couple short hairs in the armpit worth of life experience, but the one thing I definitely did know about was the movies. I watched them since I was a squirrel nut. Every day I was in front of the boob tube, watching something or other. I read about the movies, too. I may not have seen all the movies that I knew about, but I read about them. I knew every player from Lillian Gish to Bogart to Burt Reynolds. I even knew who the producers and directors were, and some of the writers, too. Oscar night was up there with Christmas and Halloween on my list of days that I would enjoy the hell out of.

The movies that made an impact on my youth weren’t the usual kid fare, either. Screw Disney. The hell with Benji. Wizard of Oz was fine and good, but what really tweaked me was a clandestine viewing (on the Starz channel at some family friends house) of Rosemary’s Baby and Lina Wertmüller’s The Seduction of Mimi . These were the kind of movies I could really enjoy, filled with rich, deeply etched characters, and stories that seemed to unfold around you. I really did love movies. And, with all the hyperbole surrounding Star Wars —the figurines, the behind-the-scenes stories – I can remember recognizing that the movies that I enjoyed, the stories and characters, were all in danger of being blown out of the universe like a Death Star.

What really drove this point home for me was the conundrum of another movie that came out that same summer. William Friedkin’s Sorcerer.

You couldn’t find two movies more opposite each other than these two. They were like chicken wings and caviar – not even on the same menu. One was from the new kid on the block, unproven, but bold, the other from the old guard, trusted and respected. And what was most telling was the treatment of these two directors and their films. Lucas couldn’t have been more loved if Santa Claus himself made him newly in charge of Christmas. He seemed to have the magic marketing touch, which pleased studio suits and the consumers nicely. Friedkin, on the other hand, a multi-Oscar winner, fresh off the success (and controversy) of The Exorcist and The French Connection, an auteur filmmaker deeply invested in the industry, couldn’t catch a break. He’d thrilled people with his notorious car chases through the streets of NYC, and pissed people off with his blasphemous religious horror flick (to which they still seemed to swarm to), but with Sorcerer, everyone seemed to shun him.

So, while every other kid across the country – and many a man-child, too – were crawling out of their Star Wars bed sheets to go to their umpteenth viewings of Princess Leah’s cinnamon rolls, I was, myself frequenting the local bijou. I saw Sorcerer three times during the one week run at the Westmar Cinema, and I was mesmerized (and that may have been due to the hypnotic soundtrack by Tangerine Dream). I was already a fan of Roy Scheider and his shark-battling, good-guy toughness, but geezus! that insane scene with the ten ton truck trying to make it’s way over a ramshackle rope bridge, as a driving rain storm rocked it from side to side – as the girls like to say these days… OMFG!

Let me try and capture the excitement for you. We’re deep in the jungles of South America, the skies have opened up like the day Noah built his arc, and a band of fugitives are maneuvering through the trees in a fifty ton truck, carrying cases of volatile TNT which, if jostled just enough, could blow them all to China in tiny bits. They’ve already lost one truck off a cliff-side dirt road, and endured everything from murderous bandits to fallen trees. Now they’ve come upon a most insurmountable obstacle: a dilapidated, narrow rope bridge that spans a raging river. The choice is there is no choice – they need to cross. So, Scheider takes the wheel, steering the five hundred ton behemoth over splintering boards and frayed rope. The temptation would be to gun it, but that would mean certain death. Shrewdly, and begrudgingly, he crosses slowly, inch by excruciating inch. Co-hort Paco Raba has the treacherous task of guiding him, placing himself precariously seated on the wavering overpass. The truck trudges along, splintering boards, the wheels turning with painful precession, compensating for wind and fear. The monsoon winds are so perilous that the truck doesn’t sway so much as swings widely, so widely that it comes within a degree of vertical, tossing Paco around and threatening to spill everyone into the river. The entire event takes only minutes of screen time, but gauging by the amount of sweat that’s soaked into the fabric of your theater seat, it feels like hours.

Had this scene been created by a team of tech-heads with computers, instead of filmed on location, the impact, the suspense would’ve never been as palpable. The beauty of it is that it’s all real – the truck, the bridge, the water, the motion, the peril. There’s no CGI strings attached. Sure, the action is controlled by stunt people, but the point is, it’s corporeal. It’s organic. You feel every ounce of sweat and fear, because the thing is happening before your eyes, not in some controlled digital dimension.

It’s this scene on the bridge that would proscribe my aversion to CGI or other big bang effects. The thing is, that stuff doesn’t move me. I can’t get revved up watching a pair of motorcycle dinks, speeding down a digital city street, bumping each other off the road. I don’t get blown away when Bruce Willis ducks down as two CGI’d cars narrowly miss him, flying over his head in perfect sync, because, to me, there’s no real danger. The more real they make it look, the less real it plays.

Hell, I’m a student of the Evel Knievel class of bone-breaking stunts. So, knowing that they’ve spent three months digitally maneuvering the hairs on an green ogre’s head to flop and flow like real natural hair—that ain’t filmmaking to me. You think Friedkin stopped camera because he noticed that Scheider’s thinning hair wasn’t flitting about properly? When did spending millions of dollars, and gallons of soy lattes, on getting the topography of the ocean floor excruciatingly perfect, so much so that it looks exactly like the real thing, become a part of story-telling? How did the exact replication of our daily minutia become filmmaking?

I know I’m being a royal buzzkill, but, for me, I go for the old school. I like the clunky effects designed by craftsman – they’re real, they’re there. They serve the actors well, ‘cause they have to react to them. CGI has it’s uses, no doubt, but when the emphasis centers on how the movie looks, instead of how it feels, the suspension of disbelief is about as stable as a suspended bridge with a five hundred ton truck on it. The more real they make the images, the less real it becomes.

In film, it’s the imagination that makes it real.

Oh, I did eventually see Star Wars, and I gotta say it was one of the most memorable nights of my life. Seriously! I remember it vividly, ‘cause I saw it in NYC on a visit with my oldest brother. We saw it in Manhattan on the very night that the Son of Sam was caught: August 10, 1977.

That occasion actually meant more to me than that Star Wars movie ever did. I mean, that’s just me.

(originally printed in Penny Blood Magazine, January 2008)

Written by Barry Meyer

Ye Ye!

There's one thing that Mr. Miller here really enjoyed as a little sprout, and that was girls singing some really sugary, candy-sweet, bubblegum music. Miss Petula Clark was always a favorite of mine, with her love of the Downtown escapades and all. And also the former Mrs. Andy Williams, Claudine Longet -- she's half the reason why I loved to watch the Andy Williams Show (well, beside the funny chap in the bear outfit)!

Other mod chicks that I dug were Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby changed my life!), Goldie Hawn, and Twiggy with her big innocent eyes.

Now, with YouTube and record sharity sites, my world of mod girls and 60s pop music has opened up. Here's one song that has me banging my cans all around the room...

France Gall -- der Computer nr 3


Here's a translation from Google. I thought about tightening the lyrics up, and trying to make them flow better, but the loose translation sounded pretty funny:

The computer No. 3
I am looking for the right boy,
and love is guaranteed for both here.
The computer
knows
for every man the right woman
and happiness is at the moment
from its register.

Indeed, one of many millions,
of waiting for me somewhere.

(Gross: einszwoundachtzig, collar: 39, Shoe size: 46, stop!)

The computer No. 3
I am looking for the right boy,
and love is guaranteed for both here.

Lange, I was lonely tonight 'I'm in love,
and the only question is so
because the technology and science
and electrical brains there.

The computer No. 3
I am looking for the right boy,
and love is guaranteed for both here.
The computer knows exactly
for every man the right woman
and happiness is at the moment
from its register.

Indeed, one of many millions,
of waiting for me somewhere

Isis... I Love You

You know that old standby about little boys and how they hate girls - yuck!! I was always puzzled by that. I mean, I realized that I was suppose to hate them, having been told so by just about every kid character on TV. Beaver hated 'em. Opie couldn't stand 'em. Bobby Brady stood clear of 'em. So, what the hell was wrong with me? Why wasn't I like them? Why wasn't I a member of the He-Man Woman Haters Club?

Thank goodness I never got that membership card in the mail, 'cause I never would've paid any mind to the awesomeness that was Isis.

Saturday Mornings were already a little slice of heaven for this kid. But when Joanna Cameron popped on the screen scene, this boy became a man! The mini Superhero skirt outfit. The toned arms. The shapely legs. Wait a minute... can someone please, please explain to me what exactly it is that a boy is supposed to find gross about all of this!! "Cause, man! I was in love.

Even with the saucer sized spectacles on, as Isis' normal-person person, science teacher Andrea Thomas, still the girl has got it all sewn up and ready twirl.

Of course, there were a load of other interesting things about the TV program. There was Bigfoot, Andrea's cute student friend Cindy, fast cars, criminals on the run, Cindy and her jeans, mystery, adventures, and Cindy's molar exposing smile.

Boys, it's time to drop the facade. Go get the DVD Box Set a BCI Eclipse/Navarre.


Oh Zephyr winds that blow on high, watch this clip or you'll just die!

oh woa is turkey day

Geezy Maude! What's happened to Thanksgiving? It's become like the Rodney Dangerfield of holidays -- no respect. The leaves hadn't even begun to turn color and the brand name stores have already begun to set up the Christmas displays. The Xmas TV ads could barely wait until the Halloween candy bowl was emptied before airing (I am NOT looking forward to the tenth year in row of the peanut M&M fainting at the sight of Santa).

Poor Turkey Day. The gravy-laden holiday has become the equivalent of the guy who gets dumped by the girl who says "We can still be friends..."

Well, I'm gonna do my part to bring some PopCereal fun back to the day of parades, football, food and sofa lounging. So, enjoy these cartoons and music, and whatever else I can scrounge up.

Happy Gobbles,
Mr. Miller


First up (courtesy of Shadowboro at YouTube), Huckleberry Hound tangles with a clever turkey and some indians:

An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you

There was a poem that my Mom and Dad used to read to us kids when we were little that scared the living daylights out of us. It's called Little Orphant Annie, written by James Whitcomb Riley. My Mom became the expert reader of this particular poem, punctuating the eerie words with her own spooky, deliberate pace.

Have a read and tell me that your skin don't start to crawl. If it don't, well... then it's on too tight.

LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE

by: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)

INSCRIBED WITH ALL FAITH AND AFFECTION

To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.

ITTLE Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,

An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,

An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,

An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;

An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,

We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun

A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,

An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--

An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,

His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,

An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!

An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,

An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;

But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--

An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,

An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;

An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,

She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!

An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,

They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,

An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!

An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,

An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!

An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,

An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--

You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,

An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,

An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,

Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

For extra creepy value, here's a youtube video (from the folks at poetryanimation) of Riley reading the poem himself, with some bizarre animation that just plain adds some spooky ambiance.






Go ahead... try to get some sleep now...

Georgie treats!

While I'm searching for my Georgie filmstrip, here is a fantastic copy of a 45rpm of Georgie, from the wonderful folks at Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing Blaaahhhggg!!!

Please, check them out. They have a crud load of Halloween related shares. You'll flip yer can when you see what they have!!

where are you Georgie??

I've had some requests to repost the Georgie filmstrip. I'd love to repost it... heck, I'd love to watch the thing again!! Problem is, I'm having trouble finding the file (rapidshare has deleted the old link, as well). If anyone has a copy of the file, please let me know so I can repost it.

Thanks!

When Ronald was Bad

Bad Ronald (1974)

There was a time when some really great movies were on the tube, back when three networks had to compete with the thousands of movie theaters and bigger stories.

Starring Scott Jacoby -- who, if you were around anywhere in the 70s, you'd recognize this kids face -- as Ronald, a lonely, weird, creepy kid who accidentally kills a neighbor girl. His mom (Planet of the Apes Kim Hunter) decides to board up the downstairs bathroom and hide her boy inside, until the heat is off. But then she goes off and dies, leaving the kid inside the walls. And then, another family moves in (I guess a big house with only one bathroom and three girls didn't bother them) and Ronald goes from bad to worse.

This movie is a must-see. Check it out here:

Cultra Rare Videos

a hootenanny good christmas

Santa stopped by from the North Pole to deliver this little Christmas present to all you kiddies!

Paul & Paula - Holiday for Teens

before MTV was emp-TV

Remember when we could celebrate the Holiday spirit without all the irony?


Billy Squire sings in the MTV studios



Hall & Oates make rather merry



Paul McCartney simpling having a wonderful Christmas

the ghost of christmas sharity's past

Mr. Miller here wanted to drop a quick post in for all you kids, with some links to past
PopCereal holiday shares. Please enjoy, and have a happy!

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol film strip

Kenny and Corky 45rpm: Nuttin' for Christmas and Suzy Snowflake

Mitch Miller and The Sandpipers (featuring Bob Keeshan) 45 rpm: A Merry Merry Merry Merry Christmas and A Happy Little New Year


For your viewing pleasure... one of Mr. Miller's favorite Christmas ads: The Staples Snobot finds his jealousy chip.

once again, here are the Rhodes Kids!

Santa loves Rock-n-Rhodes music!

Starting out the Christmas sharitys for this season is an old chestnut that yours truly, Mr. Miller, simply adores. It's easily one of my top twenty favorite Christmas LPs, and one that sits in the stack of records on the ol' console stereo spindle -- Rock-n-Rhodes Christmas by The Rhodes Kids. It's an album that I've shared before, but hey, when it's this good, then you just gotta make sure it gets out there!

From the size of those collars one could easily determine that these cats were happening straight out of the 70s, all polyester clad and uncoifed. The Rhodes Kids had their brush with fame and fortune, but unfortunately never rose to the bubblegum level of teen idol fame of similar family acts, like the Cowsills or the Partridge Family. It's not that they didn't have their opportunities. They were plastered on the pages of Tiger Beat and Sixteen, they played in the same Las Vegas venue where Elvis was playing, they took a spin on the stages of the Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffen Show and American Bandstand, and they played Disneyland (with Pat Boone) and Disney World.

Their biggest break was being the featured gig on a 1975 episode of The Wonderful World of Disney which promoted the hotly anticipated opening of Disney Worlds's Tomorrow Land. The program was hosted by Lucie Arnaz, and also featured Lyle Waggoner and Tommy Tune. The Kids were introduced to the PopCereal world in the same TV program as Space Mountain is given it's big promotion -- what a dream gig, eh!

As far as bubblegum pop goes, Won't You Be My Friend is about as light as cotton candy, and twice as sweet. It's no Sugar, Sugar, but it ain't without it's catchiness. Mr. Miller here has yet to dig up any more Rhodes Kids LPs, other than the Xmas one, so it's hard to get the real feel on these kids. But, if Mr. Miller only had this Xmas LP to go by, then I gotta wonder why the Kids didn't have teen girls swarming them everywhere they went.

Rock-n-Rhodes Chritsmas is sprinkled with catchy original bubblegum pop tunes, like Santa Loves Rock-n-Roll Music, as well as some tasty takes on old standards, like Jingle Bells. And what's really great about these kids is that they have some real talent. They didn't wear the rock-n-roll family guise as a come on, these kids were real hard working musicians with an obvious trunk full of musical skill -- if you have a chance, check out the linear notes and you'll see that the older Rhodes kids, Gary and Ron, split the vocal arrangement duties on the album. The result is not just a cool holiday album, but a sack full of some real catchy kernals of popcorn that ping around inside your head long after your egg nog buzz has melted away.

For a more intimate account of the brief pop life of the Rhodes Kids check out the interview with Ron Rhodes (the accomplished author), and an email response from the Donny Osmond of the group, Mark Rhodes, sent to the King of Jingaling over at the fabulous Christmas website FaLaLaLaLa (if you're liking the Christmas music this time of the year, trust me -- you don't wanna miss this website!). By the by, the sharity of this tremendous Xmas LP is straight from The King himself, since Mr. Miller's digatized version of the LP is vastly insuperior.

Enjoy!

goggle gobble says the turkey, in the gravy dark and murkey

Well geezymaude! That's what I get for moving from one state to another and searching out new modes of employment and inviting a new little baby girl into the world -- no time to post, is what.

Mr. Miller here was none too happy about missing out on all the Halloween sharing tricks or treats, but I hopes to make it up with the upcoming Christmas holiday. To kick it off all proper like, here's the man Johnny Cash to lead us in a Thanksgiving prayer.



Remember when holidays were all about entertaining the kids? What ol' Mr. Miller here wouldn't give to have a cartoon line-up like this on the tube on Turkey Day Morning.



Okay, listen up class. Today we're going to watch a film that will teach you all about the true spirit of Thanksgiving. Albert, get the lights please.



To part with, Mr. Miller here wants to give a word of caution to all you Black Friday hooligans... watch yer step!



PopCereal wishes all you turkeys a Happy Thanksgiving. And don't forget to pop another hole in the ol' belt strap!

Gobble

jason of the star command

Check it out Popcereal kiddies! Another classic Saturday morning live action show has been released on DVD. Grab your sugar cereal bowls and comic books and gather around the tube -- it's time for Jason of the Star Command!!

JASON OF STAR COMMAND -- The Entire Series (BCI Ecplipse)

Working from within a secretive section of Space Academy, a daring soldier of fortune named Jason (Craig Littler) joins with his friends to combat the sinister forces that conspire to dominate the stars. Jason is aided on his missions by Commanders Carnavin (Star Trek’s James Doohan) and Stone (John Russell), computer expert Nicole (Susan Pratt), strong alien Samantha (Tamara Dobson), eccentric scientist Dr. E.J. Parsafoot (Charlie Dell), and two robots, Peepo and the portable W1K1. Together they face the evil machinations of Dragos — the self-proclaimed "Master of the Cosmos" — and his alien minions aboard the Dragonship.

JASON OF STAR COMMAND was a hit when it aired on Saturday mornings, beginning in 1978 on CBS. The most expensive children's show on television, the series utilized sets and props from its predecessor, SPACE ACADEMY (also released on DVD by BCI), and featured veterans of Star Trek among its cast, plus special effects personnel who had created the visuals of Star Wars! With its action-oriented serialized plots and a memorable space-age villain in Dragos, JASON OF STAR COMMAND was a hit for two seasons, and entertained audiences worldwide in syndication thereafter.

And some interesting trivia – featured guest star Rosanne Katon did a centerfold spread in Playboy Magazine just prior to the debut of this Saturday morning program. The show’s Producer Lou Scheimer was terrified that with one of its stars doing girlie mags, his kid show would be ruined. Oddly, CBS (who ran the program) didn’t seem to mind much.

Even odder is that the new king of ghoulishness Sid Haig, from Devil's Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses fame, was the regular bad guy Dragos. Geesh, with Playboy girls and serial killers running amok, Mr. Miller wonders if his Saturday mornings were really that wholesome afterall.

Check out what else was on the Saturday morning schedule, along with Jason:

collect your paycheck!

Mr. Miller here was not what you'd call a raving fan of Mr. Johnny Paycheck. Sure, "Take This Job and Shove It" was a perfectly pitched anthem for the pissed-off working man in the 1970s (I wasn't exactly a working man in those days, just an average teen washing dishes and stuff like that -- but the angst wasn't lost on me). And i couldn't help but appreciate the "outlaw" antics, his surly wit and overall drunken persona.

The thing is, I never felt the need to dig into his discography to have a listen at much more than what I'd already heard -- that was until after he blew off a free outdoor concert with BR549 because he was too shitfaced to crawl outa bed. Mr. Miller and his buddies all thought that he was worth a listen to after that stunt.

Here's Mr. Paycheck's first LP The Lovin' Machine (1966). It was the age of theNashville sound, and a jokester like Paycheck would seem an ill fit. But the rebel rouser had a proven background in Country music, having played back-up for other stars and penning a hit for George Jones. On this first album you'll hear the crass wit behind "Take This Job..." (even though that was written by David Allen Coe), but surprising is his turn as country crooner, trying to belt out the ballads in a George Jones drawl.

Here's a copy of The Lovin' Machine that's been tooling around online (I'd love to give credit to the original poster of it, but it's been around the bend a few times, and that info is unavailable).

Download it here!

welcome to space academy

To anyone who was a member of the Saturday Morning Cartoon generation, Filmation is surely a brand name that can flip a couple cans. Filmation founders Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott were responsible for the most recognizable cartoon and live action children’s hits like The Groovie Goolies, Isis, Fat Albert, He-Man, and Archie. Not only were these shows popular on weekend television, but many of the show’s characters crossed over to become celebrated Top 40 hit-makers.

Thank the Gods of TV that many of these funtime programs are resurfacing on DVD.

I have to admit that I was not a regular fan of Space Academy when it originally aired (Saturdays mornings from 1977 to 1979). Frankly, by the time this show came on I was starting High School and had other, more pressing, matters on my mind (girls just don’t dig a guy who sits at home watching cartoons). The fact that the show starred perennial 70s kid actress Pamelyn Ferdin didn’t make it any more appealing to me. You may remember her as Felix Unger’s whinny little daughter, or the whinny girl on Lassie, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Sealab 2020, or a thousand other TV shows and movies. Now, in nostalgic reflection, I kinda dig her – maybe that change of heart came about when she played a whinny victim in the first Toolbox Murders.

Other notable actors on Space Academy are Brian Tochi, who played the Asin dude in Revenge of the Nerds and the Police Academy flicks. And, of course, there was Jonathan Harris, who is best remembered as Dr. Smith from Lost in Space. For fans of the flamboyant and dastardly Dr. Smith, Harris’ turn as the more sedate Commander Isaac Gampu must have surely been a disappointment, for this role as the Academy leader lacked the twitchy charm of dubious doctor.

This Saturday morning treat was sort of like Star Trek for the junior set. The racially mixed teenaged cadets of the academy were culled from the most brilliant and talented of the young Earthlings of the 33rd Century. Under the tutelage of Commander Gampu and his robot Peepo (voiced by Lou Scheimer’s daughter Erika), telekinetic siblings Laura (Ferdin) and Chris (Ric Carrott) join forces with, Tee Gar (Tochi), a martial arts expert, Paul (Ty Henderson) the doubting Thomas of the group, and Loki (Eric Greene) a playful alien orphan who can turn invisible, to explore the Universe. And just as Kirk and his crew did, the youngsters constantly happen upon a planet or space ship where the inhabitants force the cadets to mull over some very complicated ethical and moral conundrums.

And just as Jonathan Harris traversed many a planet where the vegetation was always sparse and usually shoulder height, so to the young cadets journeyed. For me, this is the beauty of shows like this – the simplicity. Even though the show was decked out by the same special effects team from Star Wars (which premiered the same year as SA debuted), it still maintained a low-budget, staged personality – which, for my moneys worth, is what makes these make believe shows seem oddly more believable.

BCI Eclipse, for the past couple of years, has been releasing the Filmation catalog for all of us hungry PopCereal eaters. Look for Space Academy at their website, or your local video mall.

And while you're at it, check out these handy sites for more on SA.

70s Live Action Kid Vid

Welcome to Space Academy

Pamelyn Ferdin's Official Website

SPACE ACADEMY:
THE COMPLETE SERIES
COLLECTOR'S DVD SET
Released by BCI Eclipse / Ink & Paint
In Stores January 16, 2007.

SPACE ACADEMY: The Complete Series includes special features produced by Andy Mangels:

• Four discs, all 15 episodes

Bonus material includes:

* 35 minute Documentary, "Back to School with Space Academy"
* Audio Commentary tracks for two episodes
("Phantom Planet, "Countdown")
with Lou Scheimer - Executive Producer,
stars Ric Carrot, Brian Tochi, and Eric Greene,
and Special Effects Supervisor Chuck Comisky,
hosted by Andy Mangels
* Behind-the Scenes photo gallery
* Cast Reunion photo gallery with interview clips
* Memorabilia photo gallery with interview clips
* Promotional photo gallery
* Booklet with Episode Guide and Trivia
* All 15 Scripts (DVD-ROM)
* Series Bible (DVD-ROM)
* Easter Eggs
* Trailers - Ink & Paint Previews

a special christmas treat!

Merry Christmas to all those of the Saturday Morning Generation (and everyone else, no doubt)!

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For our final installment of Christmas offerings, Mr. Miller has wrapped up a real neat treat for all you PopCereal kids to go silly over.

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If there is one thing that you ever needed to know, or cared to know, about Mr. Miller, it's that he absolutely loves Charles Dickens story "A Christmas Carol." Ever since he can remember, the 1951 Alastair Sim version of the story was a regular event at the Mr. Miller household. The local PBS station would run the holiday movie twice a year, with the first airing on Christmas Eve, and the second on Christmas day afternoon.

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Another little secret about Mr. Miller is that he's also fond of filmstrips.

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What we have here for your final PopCereal Christmas present is a recording of a filmstrip version of the great Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, produced by the Listening Library, Inc, out of Greenwich, Connecticut. They've been providing schools and other organizations with filmstrips, audio books and other audio-visual goodies for decades now, and it's always a happy day when we find one of their gems.

So, for your listening and viewing pleasure, PopCereal presents the filmstrip version of Dickens A Christmas Carol (catalog #SFX5), which includes a pdf file of the accompanying guide booklet.



So, go download it and enjoy your holidays!!

rapidshare this download

or download at mediafire

Oh... and please be patient with the download. After all it's a double length filmstrip with audio read along, running nearly 40 minutes, so it'll take several minutes of your time to obtain it. We promise you -- it's weel worth the wait.

Have a merry!!
Mr. Miller