Short Cuts: "And Now, the News"...

 

Redartz: With all the craziness in our world today, most of us keep tabs on current events; via the tv news, the net, even (yes, still) the newspapers. But how about 'back then'? When you were a kid, did you pay any attention at all to the news? Did you read any of the paper aside from the comics? 

When I was little, my folks always tuned in Walter Cronkite with the CBS News. Even to

day, when I think of tv journalism, Walter"s is the image that appears in my mind.  Dignified and personable, he
was the one I turned to all through college. 

A few years earlier, I (and every Saturday Morning cartoon viewer) got bits of the news from "In the News",  short featurettes during commercial breaks and between shows. Those jounalistic episodes might have helped foment my later thirst for news and analysis.

 

 How about you? Send us all a bulletin; just the facts...

 

Riding the Retro Metro: Tuesday May 5, 1981!

Redartz:  Good day, all! Step right up and board the Retro; today's destination is May 5, 1981. Once again, we take a look around at the world of the day, and see the usual turmoils in the headlines. Lebanon and Northern Ireland, among other locales, are too frequently in the news for the strife therein. Here in the US, President Ronald Reagan continues to recover from the recent assassination attempt. In more uplifting news, the Space Shuttle Columbia recently made it's debut flight, returning NASA to the excitement of manned space flight.

And launching to the top  of the US music charts this week is Scottish singer Sheena Easton, with "Morning Train (Nine to Five):

Interestingly, the song was released as "Nine to Five" in the UK, but renamed "Morning Train" for US release- so as to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton's recent number 1 hit "9 to 5".
 
Rounding out the top five: 
2.  Grover Washington Jr;.with Bill Withers, "Just the Two of Us"
3.  Smokey Robinson, "Being With You"
4.  Juice Newton, "Angel of the Morning"
5.  Kim Carnes, "Betty Davis Eyes"

The top five this week features some really fine tunes, in my humble opinion. Especially love Bill Withers' vocals on "Just the Two of Us". And not to be overlooked are more intriguing entries further down this week's charts. Among them:   
A Taste of Honey, "Sukiyaki"- a song I never expected to hear a remake of , now with English lyrics.  John Lennon, "Watching the Wheels"- The late icon has another posthumous hit here, and a fine song it is.  Steely Dan, "Time Out of Mind"- an excellent song from one of my favorite groups; from their "Gaucho" lp; it features guest work by Mark Knopfler.  Gary U.S.Bonds, "This Little Girl"- another nearly forgotten 60's singer returns in the 80's. The Police, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" - their lp "Zenyatta Mondatta" yields a great new single with slightly creepy subject matter.

 

Tops in the UK:  Adam & the Ants, "Stand and Deliver". I love this group, ever since catching them on Tom Snyder's "Tomorrow" show.

We could talk music all day, but the wealth of popular culture has other areas of interest to visit. As in, what's on the tv tonight?

US Television Schedule: 

Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers of "Hart to  Hart"

ABC:  Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, It's A Living, Hart to Hart

Laverne and Shirley have been favorites of mine for several years now, and they still make a hilarious team. ABC has another winner later on tonight with "Hart to Hart". Great show, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as jetset adventurers Jonathan and Jennifer Hart. Personally, I think  Lionel Stander ( as their aide Max) steals the show...

Laverne & Shirley

Walter Cronkite

CBS:  Walter Cronkite's Universe, Flo, The CBS Tuesday Night Movies

I've never seen "Universe", but Walter Cronkite is always my choice for news coverage. Plainspoken but dignified, "the most trusted man in America" now hosts this science series...

Lee Horsley and William Conrad of "Nero Wolfe"

NBC:  Lobo, Nero Wolfe, Flamingo Road

Sorry, can't offer much commentary on NBC's schedule tonight; perhaps one among you can do so?











BBC1:  Three Girls for Europe, The Tuesday Film: Death Among Friends, The Man of Destiny, Jailhouse Rodeo

BBC2:   Shakespeare in Perspective: Antony and Cleopatra, Hindsight, Hooked!, Crystal Gayle, Boom Boom...Out Go the Lights, Top Gear, Newsnight



Turning now from the phosphor dot screen to the printed page, let's see what comic enjoyment awaits us on the spinner racks:

Quite a few of these books will be riding home with your humble host. Defintely Dr. Strange; with ace writer Roger Stern now teamed with ace penciller Marshall Rogers. Still picking up Amazing Spider-Man, although not really enjoying the book much currently. On the other hand, I highly recommend "Ka-Zar", and "Micronauts". The Teen Titans are rocking with Wolfman and Perez at the helm. And we have a new Superman/Spider-Man team up to peruse. Featuring Dr. Doom and the Parasite by Jim Shooter, John Buscema and  a plethora of inkers. Definitely worth a look...



And just like that, we come to the end of our vicarious visit to the early 80's. It was a time with much to offer for cultural enthusiasts; kind of like our current world. Speaking of which, we now must return to that world; at least until the next journey aboard the Retro Metro!