Retro Steel pedal cars

I came across this press release for a site promoting their steel pedal retro cars. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/2/prweb352486.htm

Blaine, WA (PRWEB via PR Web Direct) February 28, 2006 -- Replica steel pedal cars are back and available at www.PedalCarsAndRetro.com. Parents and grandparents can remember the good old days as the new retail trend brings preschoolers out into the fresh air for some old-fashioned exercise. The toy cars are getting attention from children for their cool appeal, from parents for their ability to pull kids away from the TV, and from retailers for their sales pull.

The fifties were a simpler time when kids roamed freely, climbed trees and the lucky ones jumped in their shiny pedal cars and proudly raced through their neighborhoods. With no televisions or video games to interrupt, afternoons belonged to the instinctive exercise of children’s play. Let www.PedalCarsAndRetro.com help bring those times back.

Pedal cars, or juvenile automobiles as they were first introduced in the early 1900s, were originally the toys of the affluent. But after the Depression, industrial designers like Viktor Schreckengost and Brooke Stevens allowed manufacturers to bring pedal cars to the masses. They soon gained widespread appeal and pedal cars were gracing retail catalogues and family driveways all across America. But in the mid 1970s the lower price of plastic cars drove the steel pedal cars out of the toy market.

The resurgence of pedal cars has sparked a new toy craze and they are appearing in stores and neighborhoods alike. Unlike the plastic power cars, these old-fashioned toys are building kids’ muscles while they proudly strut their stuff in their very own classic car.

Perhaps the most obvious proof of this new trend is the number of online stores like www.PedalCarsAndRetro.com that are dedicated to pedal car sales. Because pedal cars are still difficult to find in traditional toy stores, the Internet is the perfect place to choose the ideal pedal car for a child. With a large selection and affordable pricing, finding a child the toy of a lifetime is just a few clicks away. PedalCarsAndRetro.com has experienced staff available to help customers choose the pedal car or pedal plane that is perfect for the child in their life.

About Pedal Cars and Retro Collectables (www.PedalCarsAndRetro.com):
Pedal Cars and Retro Collectables is an online specialty shop offering quality steel pedal cars and pedal planes. As well as ride on toys for children, the site includes a complete line of Crosley record players, 1930s style Coca Cola machines and other retro collectables.

Contact:
Susan Carraretto, Director of Public Relations
Pedal Cars and Retro Collectables
477 Peace Portal Dr. Ste 107-222
Blaine, WA 98230
1-877-703-2613
www.PedalCarsAndRetro.com

'Gunsmoke,' 'McCloud' Actor Weaver Dies

From Yahoo News:

Dennis Weaver, an actor with a Midwestern twang who played stiff-legged Chester the deputy on "Gunsmoke" and the cowboy cop hero in "McCloud," has died. He was 81.

Weaver died Friday from complications of cancer at his home in Ridgway, in southwestern Colorado, his publicist, Julian Myers, announced Monday.

"He was a wonderful man and a fine actor, and we will all miss him," said Burt Reynolds, who appeared with Weaver in "Gunsmoke" in the early 1960s.

Weaver and actor James Arness were close friends since their 1955 screen test for "Gunsmoke."

"It is a very sad time and a big loss for me personally," Arness said. "He provided comic relief but was also a real person doing things that were very important to the show."

Weaver's 50-year career included stage plays and movies. But his real success was on television, where in addition to his cowboy roles he shared the screen with a 600-pound black bear on "Gentle Ben" and faced down a murderous big-rig in the early Steven Spielberg movie "Duel."

Weaver starred last year in ABC Family's "Wildfire" as the eccentric owner of a thoroughbred racing ranch.

"His performance never ceased to dazzle us," the cable channel said in a prepared statement. "He was an American legend not only for his contribution to the acting community but for his extensive and inspirational environmental work."

They say death comes in threes. This past weekend we lost Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Dennis Weaver.

Darren McGavin dead at 83

From the Washington Post:

Darren McGavin, 83, who played gruff, grumpy but often goodhearted characters in a profusion of fondly recalled television series and shows, died Feb. 25 in Los Angeles.

He died of multiple organ failure at Olympia Hospital, his son York McGavin said.

In the "Night Stalker" series, Mr. McGavin wore a porkpie hat to play reporter Carl Kolchak, who revealed the occult forces behind the reality of the Chicago streets. Mr. McGavin is widely remembered as the father in 1983's "A Christmas Story," a classic that reappears every year during the holiday season.

He was also Mike Hammer, the embodiment of the hard-nosed private eye, in the series based on the Mickey Spillane novels.

In dozens of roles in made-for-TV movies, in series, or in episodes of series, Mr. McGavin appeared cynical or curmudgeonly. But even if he was a grouch, he was frequently a grouch with a glint in his eye.

Retro pic of the week - Captain Lou Albano

From WrestlingMuseum.com:

For the nearly forty years that Capt. Lou Albano was involved in professional wrestling, be it as a wrestler or manager, he created controversy, excitement, and in many cases, genuine hatred from the audiences he performed for. For a man who, by his own admission, was not a tremendous wrestler Albano certainly made a huge impact in the "sport" and was, for many years, one of the most well-known cross over celebrities that wrestling had to offer. His vaudevillian style approach to cutting interviews, combined with his over-the-top personality and ring persona made Albano one of the most hated managers of all time. Later in his career, Albano transformed that intense hatred into babyface popularity, and became one of the most beloved figures in wrestling. In either case, the rowdy Captain made the fans care about him, which, in the wrestling business, is all that really matters.

Who could forget Captain Lou's famous feud with Cyndi Lauper when Captain Lou was claiming to be her manager. He really played a large part in helping wrestling gain mainstream popularity. I don't think any other wrestling personality could have pulled that whole thing off as well as Captain Lou did.

Don Knotts - dead at 81

From the Chicago Tribune:

Don Knotts, the saucer-eyed, scarecrow-thin comic actor best known for his roles as the high-strung small-town deputy Barney Fife on the 1960s CBS series "The Andy Griffith Show" and the leisure-suit-clad landlord Ralph Furley on ABC's '70s sitcom "Three's Company," has died. He was 81.

Knotts, who lived in West Los Angeles, died Friday night of lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Sherwin Bash, his longtime manager.

Family members said that his longtime friend Griffth was one of his last visitors at Cedars on Friday night.

Despite health problems, Knotts had kept working in recent months. He lent his distinctive, high-pitched voice as Turkey Mayor in Walt Disney's animated family film "Chicken Little," which was released in November 2005. He also did guest spots in 2005 on NBC's "Las Vegas" and Fox's "That '70s Show." He occasionally co-headlined in live comedy shows with Tim Conway, his sometime co-star in Disney films such as "The Apple Dumpling Gang." Knotts also appeared as the TV repairman in director Gary Ross's whimsical 1998 comedy "Pleasantville," and voiced the part of T.W. Turtle in the 1997 animated feature "Cats Don't Dance."

Retro pic of the week - Sally Field

Next to the word cute in the dictionary they should have a picture of Sally Field. I believe this pic was taken around the time she was doing "Gidget" or shortly thereafter. From Wikipedia:

Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American movie and television actress. Born in Pasadena, California, she grew up in a Hollywood family. Her mother, Margaret Field, was an actress, and her step-father, a former stunt-man, was Western actor Jock Mahoney. She got her start on television, starring as the boy-struck surfer girl in the mid-1960s series Gidget. She then went on to star in The Flying Nun and The Girl with Something Extra.

Having played mostly comic characters on television, Field was not initially regarded as having much potential as a dramatic actress. In 1976, Field was finally able to show that she could play this kind of role, starring as the title character afflicted with multiple personality syndrome in the TV film Sybil. She won an Emmy Award in 1977 for this performance. In 1979, she starred as a union organizer in Norma Rae, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She won another Oscar in 1984 for her starring role in Places in the Heart; her gushing acceptance speech is one of the best known of its kind. In it she stated "I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" [1]. The line ending in "...I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" is often misremembered as simply "You like me, you really like me!" which has subsequently been the subject of many parodies.

She has had supporting roles in other movies, including Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994).

On television, Field has a recurring role on ER as Dr. Abby Lockhart's bipolar mother, for which she won an Emmy in 2001. She also starred in the very short-lived 2002 series The Court.

Field dated Burt Reynolds for many years, but never accepted his proposals of marriage. She was first married to Steven Craig from 1968 to 1975. In 1984, she married Alan Greisman, but divorced again in 1993. Field has two sons from her first marriage -- one of whom is novelist Peter Craig -- and a third son from her second marriage.

Retro pic of the week - Jimi Hendrix

Courtesy of NME.com:

The legend was born during what was left of The Troggs' 'Wild Thing'. Jimi had already humped his guitar, played it behind his head and backward somersaulted over the stage. But now he kneeled over his instrument. Kneeled and leered.

The crowd - 50,000 of them assembled at the Monterey Fairgrounds in California - was already bombed-out by The Who, who'd just smashed their kit to smithereens, when Jimi started squirting lighter fluid onto his wailing guitar. In an instant it was alight, Jimi caressing the flames, enticing them into a squalling inferno. And in that moment, the legend was born.

Jimi Hendrix, the wildman of rock, was Seattle-raised, but found his first recognition as pop's main dandy in Swinging London, where 'Hey Joe', 'Purple Haze' and his 'Are You Experienced?' album were the stoned epitome of peacock hippy cool. The Monterey International Pop Festival was his return home and no bunch of arty mods from Shepherd's Bush were gonna steal his thunder. Sunday, June 18, 1967, Jimi and the burning guitar - a rock'n'roll moment literally unforgettable.

It launched Jimi in America, where his cosmic blues, elasticated into alien terrain on the 'Axis: Bold As Love' and 'Electric Ladyland' albums, has not been reconnoitred by aspiring astronauts even today. He flayed 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock, blew out his Experience, and frightened the life out of white Middle America. And he made music the like of which had never been heard on this planet before. Or since.

Jimi died of drug-related complications in mysterious circumstances in London on September 18, 1970, but the film footage of Monterey hasn't withered or aged into ephemera. It's still shocking, still beautiful, still the peak of impertinent sexual showmanship. Laughing while rock'n'roll burns.

The coolest opening theme to a television series

The opening theme to "The Six Million Dollar Man" has got to be by far the coolest opening theme to any television series in history.
http://www.kfcplainfield.com/sound/sixmill.mp3

Strypers newest cd

Stryper has a new cd out. Actually it was released last year. I haven't gotten a chance to hear it yet but it's gotten some good reviews. I remember back in the 80s their video for "Honestly" was so popular that they had to retire it from their call in video request show because it was always the most requested video. Here's a review of their cd:

It’s not easy for a band to sound like both Metallica and Styx on the same album, but Stryper manages to do it with the heaviness of “When Did I See You Cry?” and the airiness of “Rain.” The catchy hook and chorus of “Wait For You” is a hit single in waiting, and “10,000 Years” is actually a rocked up version of the traditional hymn “Amazing Grace” that’s guaranteed to make the church ladies keel over in the pews. The band finishes up with a remake of “In God We Trust,” the title track from their last successful album in 1988 that’s more bottom heavy and brutal here.

Gone is the band’s trademark yellow and black-striped spandex that made them look like Biblical bumblebees, and Michael Sweet’s high-pitched operatic voice doesn’t hurt as many dogs’ ears this time out. What’s left is a supremely talented band with a knack for songwriting, a flair for showmanship, and a message to sustain them, even if MTV doesn’t play their videos anymore. —Wayne Parry

The Tomorrow Show - Punk & New Wave on dvd

I'm not a hardcore punk fan but i do like bands like Blondie and The Ramones. For fans of The Ramones two of their performances are on this dvd, "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "The KKK Took My Baby Away".

The Tomorrow Show - Punk & New Wave:

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"May I say, Kim," Tom Snyder says to a heavily made-up Kim Fowley, "You look ridiculous tonight." So begins one of late night television's more bizarre interviews. Spanning the musically volatile years from 1977-1981, these eight Tomorrow Show episodes all focus on the burgeoning punk/new wave movement. To his credit, Snyder doesn't pretend to like or even understand it, but nor does he criticize (although he does chuckle on occasion). Mostly, he lets the musicians speak for themselves and play a few tunes. All the while, he looks thoroughly bemused, comfortably enveloped in a nimbus cloud of cigarette smoke--along with a few of his guests, like a soft-spoken Paul Weller (the Jam) and surly John Lydon (Public Image Limited). Other participants include Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, the Plasmatics, the Ramones, Patti Smith, and Joan Jett (circa the Runaways, who were produced by Fowley). Smith, Jett, and Lydon, joined by PiL band mate Keith Levene, do not perform. The rest do. The Plasmatics make the most of the opportunity with "Master Plan," during which Wendy O. Williams spray-paints, smashes the windows, and then blows up a car. Other notable numbers include Pop's "Five Foot One" and the Jam's "Pretty Green." Because these programs are shown in their entirety, several non-musical guests, like Frank Capra and Ricky Schroeder, also put in appearances (and to Joey Ramone's chagrin, Kelly Lang is the fill-in for Snyder during the Ramones segment). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
From Elvis to Iggy, all the punks are here! As the popularity of punk and new wave in the ‘70s and ‘80s took flight, the groundbreaking late night talk program The Tomorrow Show (boasting 3 Emmy ® nominations) welcomed many of the key figures of the genre. Hosted by Tom Snyder, this 2-DVD set captures explosive live performances and revealing interviews on DVD for the first time ever from the forefathers of the punk and new wave movement, such as: The Ramones, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, John Lydon (of The Sex Pistols and PiL), Joan Jett, The Jam, Patti Smith, The Plasmatics, and much more! Highlights Include: The Ramones fiery performance of "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "The KKK Took My Baby Away". An unforgettable verbal spat between John Lydon and Tom Snyder. Elvis Costello’s frenzied performance of "Watch Your Step". Iggy Pop’s offering of "TV Eye". Roundtable discussion between Joan Jett, Paul Weller (The Jam), Bill Graham and others regarding the current state of punk rock and much much more!

The worst pop songs of all time

Taken from Pop Culture Madness:

1. MacArthur Park - Richard Harris or Donna Summer
2. I've Never Been To Me - Charlene
3. Lovin' You - Minnie Riperton
4. Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks
5. Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band
6. Muskrat Love - Captain and Tenille
7. I Write The Songs - Barry Manilow
8. Sometimes When We Touch - Dan Hill
9. I Am... I Said - Neil Diamond
10. Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
11. Having My Baby - Paul Anka
12. Feelings - Morris Albert
13. Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
14. Oh Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
15. Disco Duck - Rick Dees
16. A Horse With No Name - America
17. Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
18. Morning Train (9 to 5) - Sheena Easton
19. You Light Up My Life - Debbie Boone
20. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
21. Shannon - Henry Gross
22. In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus) - Zager and Evans
23. Do That To Me One More Time - Captain and Tenille
24. I Can't Dance - Genesis
25. The Candy Man - Sammy Davis jr
26. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
27. Ma Belle Amie - The Tee Set
28. Brand New Key - Melanie
29. Wildfire - Michael Murphy
30. Playground In My Mind - Clint Holmes
31. Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbi Gentry
32. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
33. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
34. Midnight At The Oasis - Maria Muldaur
35. I Am Woman - Helen Reddy
36. The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You - Bryan Adams
37. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
38. The Warrior - Scandal
39. Lady In Red - Chris DeBurgh
40. The Logical Song - Supertramp

Those are some pretty horrible songs. I gotta disagree with putting the Supertramp song on that list. It's actually a pretty decent song. Oh well at least it's number 40. Seasons in the Sun should be number one. That song is awful. I cringe when i hear that crappy guitar riff. Fortunately i haven't heard that song in years.

Name that theme song

Warning: This is addictive. http://ear.st/MusicGame/

Retro pic of the week - Marilyn Monroe

Courtesty of Photographic Image Gallery: Marilyn Monroe poses over the updraft of a New York subway grating while in character for the filming of "The Seven Year Itch" in Manhattan on September 9, 1954. This photograph was taken at midnight, with about fifteen-hundred newsmen and fans – pro photographers and snapshot amateurs – turning out on Lexington Avenue at 52nd Street, in front of the Trans-Lux Theater. Monroe's husband, Joe DiMaggio, witnessed the scene and was enraged with jealousy by the gawkers. That night, the couple engaged in a heated argument, which became physical; Marilyn Monroe filed for divorce three weeks later. The former Norma Jean Baker modeled and starred in 28 movies grossing $200 million. Sensual and seductive, but with an air of innocence, Monroe became one of the world's most adored sex symbols. She died alone by suicide, at age 36 in her Hollywood bungalow.

Newsweek Q&A with Mary Tyler Moore

Newsweek has a short interview with Mary Tyler Moore. Though "The Mary Tyler" Moore show was before my time i've caught some of the reruns on Nick at Nite. Once you get passed the dated clothes it was really a great sitcom. Mary was also great on "The Dick Van Dyke Show". From Newsweek:

Feb. 6, 2006 issue - Q&A: Mary Tyler Moore returns to TV as a bitchy talk-show host on "That '70s Show." She spoke to NEWSWEEK's Ramin Setoodeh.

Where are you?
Mary Tyler Moore : I'm in upstate New York. It was once just our country house on weekends. Then we just kind of had it with New York City and decided to move here on a permanent basis. It's a big farm, 150 acres. We have a couple of goats and four dogs and 14 horses. Most of them are rescue horses.

What do you watch on TV these days?
A lot of Fox News. I also watch "Two and a Half Men" and "Lost."

Would you do a guest spot on "Lost"?
I would. Put that in this column.

Why did you stop making movies?
You have to be immersed in the industry. I don't go to the same parties the producers show up for, so I'm not brought to mind easily.

Are the parties any fun?
I hate parties. It's a hangover from childhood insecurities. Feeling that nobody really likes me and I won't have anything interesting to say.

And figuring out what to wear.
No. I like that.

What happened to the M that hung on Mary's wall?
I have the M. It's in my library on one of the shelves.

Anything else we should talk about?
Well, no. Of course, there is the murder. But let's forget that.

Now you've got my attention.
I had a friend and we used to have so much fun. We'd be in a crowded elevator, and just as we were walking out and the doors were closing, one of us would say, "She killed her husband."

It's true—you do have spunk.
Thanks. You make me laugh.

Al Lewis "Grandpa Munster" Dies

From ABC News:

Al Lewis, the cigar-chomping patriarch of "The Munsters" whose work as a basketball scout, restaurateur and political candidate never eclipsed his role as Grandpa from the television sitcom, died after years of failing health. He was 82.

The actor was widely reported to have been born in 1910, but his son Ted Lewis said Saturday that his father was born in 1923.

Lewis, sporting a somewhat cheesy Dracula outfit, became a pop culture icon playing the irascible father-in-law to Fred Gwynne's ever-bumbling Herman Munster on the 1964-66 television show. He was also one of the stars of another classic TV comedy, playing Officer Leo Schnauzer on "Car 54, Where Are You?"

I have fond memories of watching reruns of "The Munsters". It was nice that Al still embraced the Grandpa Munster character years later.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Decades Rock Live with Cyndi Lauper airing on VH1 Classic

http://www.vh1.com/channels/vh1_classic/channel.jhtml

Here are the air times:

Jan 30: 9am & 9pm
Feb 1: 9:30am & 9:30pm
Feb 2: 9am & 9pm
Feb 5: 6:30am & 6:30pm
Feb 6: 3pm & 3am
Feb 7: 6am & 6pm
Feb 8: 4pm & 4am
Feb 9: 9pm

Also check out Cyndi's latest cd titled "The Body Acoustic". She does new stripped down versions of her classic hits. It's a really good cd. A lot of people hear the name Cyndi Lauper and they think of the "girls just want to have fun" video but there was so much more to Cyndi Lauper than just that song and image. Songs like "time after time", "true colors" and "money changes everything" were really great songs that have stood the test of time.