In Living It Up, we first meet small town doctor Dean Martin, strumming on his guitar and singing a love ballad to a photograph of his girlfriend. The photo is of … Audrey Hepburn! Who never actually shows up in the movie.
Read More »That’s What I Like [song lyrics]
Normally, it’s Dagwood that causes the trouble. But in Blondie’s Holiday, it’s Blondie’s turn. She lets her pride cause the trouble. She lets her old high school friend Paul Madison think that Dagwood’s getting a $250/week raise — when it’s only $2.50. And when they “volunteer” Dagwood to pay for the entire high school reunion …. She doesn’t want to make Dagwood look bad.
Read More »Blondie’s Holiday
Swing Out Sweet Land is John Wayne’s tribute to the United States of America. It’s a star-studded tribute to America starring John Wayne, Lorne Greene, William Shatner, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, Ann-Margret, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Hugh O’Brian, Roscoe Lee Browne, Glen Campbell, Greg Morris, Ross Martin, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Bing Crosby, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Celeste Holm, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Tom Smothers, Red Skelton, Leslie Uggams, Dennis Weaver, Ed McMahon and more.
It was the highest rated show of the week it aired.
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Editor’s note: So everyone knows: there’s a contention on the proper pronunciation of “calliope”. I’ve heard circus people (and other performers) say “cal-ee-OPE”, while other people pronounce it “cal-I-o-pea”. In this song, “the old calliope” uses the second pronunciation.
Second note: Technically, Jerry Lewis sings along with Dean Martin, but not very often — and then, clownishly. This is clearly Dean’s song. Although the dancing the two perform is clearly a 50/50 proposition.
Read More »The Old Calliope [song lyrics]
The song Jingle Jangle Jingle was featured in the film The Forest Rangers. The most commercially successful recording was by Kay Kyser, whose version reached no. 1 in the Billboard charts in July 1942. More recently, it was featured in the video game Fallout: New Vegas. Versions were recorded by many others, including Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Glenn Miller and The Merry Macs. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Read More »Jingle Jangle Jingle [song lyrics]
The Duchess (Martha Raye):
There’s something to say for hatred
For rudeness
And for spite.
Dean Koontz’ Frankenstein is a re-imagining of the Frankenstein story. It sets up the creature as the protagonist. With the aid of two honest cops, he’s trying to stop Dr. Frankenstein. Frankenstein is planning on destroying humanity, to replace them with his “improved” creations.
Read More »Dean Koontz’ Frankenstein
Play a Simple Melody is a song from the 1914 musical, Watch Your Step, words and music by Irving Berlin. The show was the first stage musical that Berlin wrote. The one song from it that is well-remembered today is Play a Simple Melody, one of the few true examples of counterpoint in American popular music. It’s a melody running against a second melody, each with independent lyrics.
Read More »Play a Simple Melody [song lyrics]
The Alphabet Murders is a spoof of the murder mystery movie. Tony Randall stars as Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.
Read More »The Alphabet Murders [Tony Randall]