TV Guided: Incidental Music- Setting the Tone...

Redartz:  Hello everyone! This week we shall look at (listen to) some television music. And not Theme music, which is a subject all its own (and which we have addressed previously). Our topic is incidental, or background, music. You might consider it the soundtrack of a tv show. 

While theme songs often come quickly to mind (some qualify as genuine ear worms- think "Gilligan's Island"). background music may be virtually unnoticed. However, that background is crucial to the success of any show. And in some cases, the incidental music can truly stand out, and even become a major element of a show's appeal. 

Today I give you two examples of shows with phenomenal background music. Hopefully you all will offer up some additional musical recommendations (I'm always looking for more music to load on the ol' tablet, and incidental music is perfect for so many activities). But for the moment, let's listen to "Spider-Man" and "Lost in Space".

Any of you who have been following BitBA for awhile will know how highly I regard the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon. Indeed, I did a post about it. Well, one of the big draws to the show is the music. Many of you will be familiar with it, especially the music from the first season. Ray Ellis, who composed the classic theme song, also provided the incidental music used throughout the show (and which was also used in the second and third seasons). Loaded with great 60's surf guitar licks, his music really enhanced the web-slinger's adventuring. But the music from the later episodes was excellent, as well. Provided by a group of UK artists known as KPM, the later seasons music was stunningly cool and loads of jazzy fun. Syd Dale, Johnny Hawksworth, David Lindup, Johnny Pearson and others; such were the names behind the following musical examples. Enjoy...

 Incidental Music from "Spider-Man" 1967

 Don't know about you, but I'm feeling stoked already. And we're not done, next up is a sampling of music from the Irwin Allen classic "Lost in Space". Some of you may know that the familiar theme music (both versions, actually) from the show were composed by John Williams. Well, the show's incidental music was largely William's work as well. If you've seen the show, you know that the music ranges from positively creepy to breathlessly exciting to hilariously humorous. It sure provides evidence of John Williams' versatility. I still remember as a youngster watching the show; the suspenseful music accompanying the inevitable appearance of some monster would always send me hiding behind the sofa. This show's music is popular enough that it's been released repeatedly on cd as a full soundtrack. I haven't picked one up yet, but it's on my list. See what you think...

 Incidental Music from "Lost in Space"

 

And there it is, two shows with magnificently memorable musical accompaniment. Do you concur with my praise for these shows? Or am I off base? What other shows featured some great listening behind the dialogue? It's all up for discussion, and you are on the speaker list!

Chew the Fat: Tech and the Bronze Age...

Redartz: As we all sit around conversing, we are making use of various tech devices- smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Some of us may even have come to take such items for granted (not me yet, I still find myself amazed at the capabilities of my phone these days). But one thing we all have in common is the memory of a time before such innovations were available. We had surely seen the concept of high technology- in the form of Reed Richards' room-filling devices and Tony Stark's famous suit. But we largely hadn't experienced much technology beyond the television and radio.


 

 'Back in the Bronze Age', we gradually gained access to certain technologies. I recall when pocket calculators were introduced, and thinking they were pretty amazing (and remember that they were not allowed in school, the thinking was we wouldn't learn math calculation if we relied on a device). 









 


We had some early electronic games- remember Pong? First encountered this at our local bowling alley. My pals and I thought it was incredible, actually playing something on a tv screen! Little did we know what lie ahead within just a few years...

And somewhat later in our Bronze Age, the first home computers were introduced. I can remember looking at the Tandy computer ads from Radio Shack in the comics, and thinking I'd likely never be able to get something like that. Turns out I was wrong, but it took awhile. I never actually touched a computer until the late 90's when my wife's workplace provided  one on which she could work at home. It was pretty intimidating at first, but addictive. And I taught myself to type on the tutorial during a period of unemployment , which turned out to be a very wise endeavor. A couple years later I was back at school, learning electronics along with a bunch of other middle age career changers; and I was one of only a few who could type. Made those research papers much easier. And of course it makes blogging much quicker, too...

So.......what are your thoughts on technology? What were your earliest encounters with it? Video games? Were you one of those who got into computers early on? How did tech affect you, and your interests (cataloging my comic collection is infinitely easier now than it was in the 70's, all on index cards).  Discuss anything tech, from tech-inspired comics and movies to your first cellular phone. Now pardon me while I go charge my tablet...

Sound and the Fury: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow- The 'One Hit Wonders'...

Redartz:  Don't know about you, but I've been listening to a lot of music lately. Which is saying something, as I listen to quite a bit of music during 'ordinary' times. Anyway, among the extensive tunes by the Beatles, Steely Dan and the  Moody Blues, I am also enjoying the likes of The Champs, Terry Jacks and Jump 'n' the Saddle. To clarify, those charming acts known collectively as 'one hit wonders'. Incidentally, the singular hits from those acts just mentioned were "Tequila", "Seasons in the Sun", and "The Curley Shuffle".  But you knew that.

Those single-hit sensations take numerous forms. Some represent the sole chart appearance of an act with a more extensive catalogue. One such example is Thomas Dolby, who gave the word "She Blinded Me With Science". Some know him only from that excellent tune, but I found his album cuts most enjoyable. 

Some one-hitters are basically novelty hits. The above- mentioned "Curley Shuffle" fits that category. And then, other one hit acts are just that, acts that made one brief splash and then disappeared into the ether. Anyone remember Clint Holmes and "Playground in my Mind"? 

So, here for your auditory assessment are a few of my favorite 'one hits'. What other such hits do you remember (or prefer to forget)? What acts do you know of that had great material that went undiscovered  by the majority of the listening public? And perhaps you might even consider some acts that should have been 'one hit wonders'; that is, they should have quit while they were ahead.
Let the discussion  begin!

Norman Greenbaum: "Spirit in the Sky"

Daddy Dewdrop: "Chick-a-Boom"

Rockwell: "Somebody's Watching Me"

Two Questions: Reading List and Shows We Missed...

Redartz:  Welcome once again! Going with a bit less labor-intensive post this week, as we feature the return of "Two Questions". To refresh your memory, we simply ask two questions and await your collective answers. Pretty straightforward, isn't it?

 As for our questions for the week, here goes:

 1. Many of us have had some extra time on our hands lately what with that global pandemic and the consequent quarantines. Have you been using some of that time to catch up on your reading, and if so, what?

My answer: I've been reading Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man", and "100 Years of Baseball". As for comics, I've read "Avengers: the Legancty of Thanos"  tpb (reprinting the Stern/Buscema arc with the Skrulls and Nebula). Also several Spider-man Annuals. And, the six-part series "Archie Marries Veronica / Archie Marries Betty" by Mike Uslan and Stan Goldberg. Also, numerous issues of the newer Archie series by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. Aaaand, several various DC Horror anthologies (House of Secrets, House of Mystery and The Witching Hour). 

2. Looking back to our Bronze age years of the 70's and 80's, there were many very popular tv shows; the type of shows that everyone would be talking about the next day at school or work. But 'everybody doesn't like something (although I've heard nobody doesn't like Sara Lee)'. Were there any shows that everyone else seemed to watch but that you never did?

My answer: "All in the Family". Practically everyone I knew watched the show faithfully; but I never saw a single episode until just a couple years ago. The main reason: it was scheduled on Saturday night, opposite "Emergency" on NBC. As that was my favorite show for some years, I never tuned in to anything else.

Ok, gang; your turn. What say you?

Panel Discussion: The Art of Archie...

Redartz:  A little over five years ago, my first guest post appeared over at the great Bronze Age Babies blog. Little did I know where that single post would lead! Anyway, the subject of that post was a review of an Archie comic;today's topic is a long-delayed follow up to it.

 Like some of you, I've been a fan of Archie comics for many years. And for most of that time, I had no inkling of the people behind those comics- Archie Comics generally didn't credit the creators until the 1980's. And with the 'house style' intended to keep the Riverdale gang looking consistent througouht the years, determining who did what could be challenging. 

That said, there are definite differences in style among Archie's illustrators. I'm still learning about them, and thought you might enjoy a look as well. Here's a few I most enjoy.
Oh, and a few notes: we're looking at pencillers today, some of whom did their own inks. And the list isn't comprehensive, but at least it's a start. Also, credit must be given to Wikipedia and the Grand Comic Book Database, without which much of this page would be empty.


Harry Lucey

I found his work recognizable long before I knew his name. Clean lines, flawless comic timing, and a great talent for drawing physical action. Look below at Archie's reverberating jalopy, Betty and Veronica having a tug-of-war, and the gang whaling on Archie in a snowbank. Anyone who read Archie comics in the 60's and 70's will find Lucey's work familiar; he was highly prolific. As comparison, perhaps he could be considered the Jack Kirby of Archie comics.

Incidentally, I rather like his somewhat unorthodox rendition of Sabrina, What think you? 

Harry Lucey pencils, Marty Epp inks

Harry Lucey pencils, Chic Stone inks

 

Harry Lucey pencils, Marty Epp inks

Bob White

Bob White's work was commonly seen on covers and interiors of Archie comics of the 50's and into the mid 60's. Quite the illustrator, I like the detail his artwork displays. Check out the look of Veronica "Elizabeth Taylor" on the cover below. And the other covers, with the robotic jukebox and a dinosaur, feature another facet of White's work: a fondness for science fiction and fantasy. Often using aliens, monsters, robots and such, his art illustrated some of Archie's wildest adventures.

Bob White

Bob White

Bob White

Stan Goldberg

Now here's a fellow with a resume. He was all over the industry. While researching this post, I learned that Stan (Goldberg, not Lee) helped design the original color schemes for Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and other Marvel giants. Often seen credited as a colorist, Goldberg also pencilled and inked, working for Atlas and Marvel. Some years later, he moved over to Archie comics and drew a huge number of stories from the late 60's on into the 90's.  His style was warm, comfortable and familiar to Bronze age readers everywhere.

Stan Goldberg

Samm Schwartz 

Samm was known as the "Jughead" artist, handling Juggie's book for years. But he worked on other titles as well, from the 50's to the 80's. He did take a few years off from Archie to work at  Tower Comics and DC in the mid to late 60's. 

Samm Schwartz

Dan Parent

Dan may not be known to some of you; he started for Archie in the 90's and continues to this day. He has a style well-fit to the traditional look of the Archie gang, yet also brings a more contemporary feel. He was credited with creating the first gay character in Archie comics: Kevin Keller, and has produced many fine stories (recently the fun "Archie Meets Batman 66).

Dan Parent pencils, Dan DeCarlo inks

Dan Parent pencils, Mike Esposito inks

 Al Hartley

Hartley is another artist who has 'made the rounds'. Working for Timely /Atlas in the 50's, he illustrated Patsy Walker, and did stories for some of early Marvel's horror books. He even did an issue of Thor. In the later 60's Al left Marvel and went to Archie, where he did stories for many titles.His style had a ...sweetness...almost a sparkle; lots of emotion and sentiment.  This sentimentality, and his personal conviction, led him to work at Spire Christian comics by the mid 70's. You might remember seeing "Archie's One Way" and other such books, on stands at the time.

Two points of interest: on the "Subject Matter" page, Veronica mentions the names of several boys, much to Miss Grundy's annoyance. Those names refer to some of Archie Comics' big guns: George (George Gladir), Al (Al Hartley), Marty (Marty Epp), Vince (Vince DeCarlo), Bob (Bob Bolling) and Frankie (Frank Doyle).

Then on the Archie /Veronica page, note the inks by Joltin' Joe Sinnott. Very nice.

Al Hartley pencils, Jon D'Agostino inks

Al Hartley pencils, Joe Sinnott inks

Al Hartley

 Bob Montana

Bob Montana was Archie's creator, back in the 40's at MLJ comics. Although he didn't do any comic book work within our Bronze age, he did the Archie newspaper strip until 1975, and some of those strips were reprinted in the Archie comics of our day...

Bob Montana

Bob Bolling 

Bob started working at Archie in the 50's, most notably on "Little Archie". His stories were adventurous, touching, wild, and very clever. Some have compared Bolling's "Little Archie" to Carl Barks' work on the Disney ducks.  

Bolling has said that his favorite story is one called "The Long Walk" from Little Archie 20. I discovered this tale in one of the "Best of Archie" collections a couple of years ago, and it was instantly one of my favorite comic book stories of all time. 

By the way, Bob is still active today, doing work for the Archie digests....

Bob Bolling

Dan DeCarlo

Dan is perhaps my favorite Archie illustrator. He started out with Atlas Comics, illustrating Millie the Model, among others. He also did a fair bit of magazine illustration, of the fashion and pin-up variety. You can see that influence on the work he did at Archie, from the 50's to the 90's. Absolutely gorgeous illustration, DeCarlo essentially defined the look for the Archie crowd for decades. DeCarlo also created Josie (as in Josie and the Pussycats), and also Sabrina, the Teen age Witch.

Dan DeCarlo pencils, Rudy Lapick inks

Dan DeCarlo pencils, Rudy Lapick inks

Dan DeCarlo pencils, Rudy Lapick inks

Well, that's all I've got today. We only scratched the surface of Archie Comics, but I hope you enjoyed this brief survey. And I hope you'll share your thoughts about Archie, his art, and anything else Riverdale-relevant!

Panel Discussion: Definitive Artistic Achievements!

Redartz: Good day to you, and welcome! Today we present a challenge for you. I was recently looking over some favorite comics featuring some exemplary artwork, and the question occured to  me: What is the crowning achievement in artwork for your favorite comic artists? In other words, if you could only pick one single comic to showcase the talents of a given artist, what book would that be and why? 

It's a double bonus topic, because it gives us the chance to both discuss the artistic merit of some fine comics and also to leaf through some books just looking for examples! And though there are so many artists to work with, no limits will be set today- all companies, all genres, all eras.. Aaaaand, as this could get rather lengthy as a post (I could talk about artists all day), I'll limit my selections to three.  Here they are...

John Byrne:  Marvel Team-Up 79

I'll preface this with a salute to the obvious influence of inker Terry Austin. Our focus today is on the pencillers, who basically design the  page and determine the flow of the story. But in all cases, the inker has huge influence over the finished quality of the work.

As for John Byrne, he offers countless candidates for a 'best work'. So picking just one is nigh impossible; but I went with a personal favorite, MTU 79. Starting with this incredible opening splash page, the whole book is a showpiece of spectacular composition, gorgeous detail and dramatically portrayed action. Everything he draws just looks...right. From the close-ups of Mary Jane's eye to the stunning full page of Sonja leaping into action, literally every panel is a visual feast for any comic art aficionado.

 

Ross Andru:  Amazing Spider-man 136

Like Byrne, Ross has quite a few fine artistic 'performances'. But in his case, my choice was easier. ASM 136  is a classic, giving us Andru's first go at the Goblin. And he aces it. The facial close up in the third page shown below is excellent. And that spectacular double page spread is fantastic; Gobby almost literally flies off the page.

Equally important, this issue shows Andru's talent for architectural drawing. His rendering of the church below is truly striking, and shows his attention to accurate detail. T

Then there's that great page with the explosion in Peter Parker's aparment. The characters' expressions on this page are perfect, and the dramatic impact of the explosion is palpable. In short, this particular comic really displays Andru's strongest traits, and came immediately to my mind upon considering today's question.

 

Marshall Rogers:  Detective Comics 475


Marshall, in this case, is the beneficiary of the talents of inker Terry Austin; as integral is those talents were for Byrne in the above example. But  Marshall Rogers was a  master storyteller too, as seen in the pages below. The sequence illustrating Silver St. Cloud takes a challenging subject- basically a monologue- and plays it out into a varied series of panels, with varying viewpoints, which serves to maintain the reader's interest. 
It's effective, as is the panel progression showing the grisly effect of the Joker's gas upon his victim. And that iconic page depicting the Joker's entrance- absolutely perfect. The Joker is portrayed perfectly, both physically and by personality. 

And like Andru, Rogers showed his bountiful skills at cityscapes. This splash page intro is stunningly detailed. What a poster this page would make...

So, those three books are the ones I'd pick to represent Byrne, Andru and Rogers in a Comic Art Hall of Fame.  But somehow I just can't leave it at that, so  here's a few other 'quick picks':

Carl Barks:  "A Christmas for Shacktown" (Walt Disney's Christmas Parade 2)
Keith Giffen:  "Within the Darkness"  (Legion of Superheroes 293)
Joe Staton:  "There Shall Come a Gathering" (Showcase 100)
Walter Simonson: X-Men and Teen Titans

 All right, it's time you all had a turn. What do you think of these selections? What other artists  (and there are COUNTLESS) come to your mind, and what comics best exemplify their talents? Have at it, friends...

Animation Congregation: More Animated Themes, Dreams and Schemes!

Redartz: Hey, last week was a lot of fun- there's a lot of love out there for Saturday mornings (and after school, and evenings; anytime animation is available). I'm gobsmacked by the response you all had (picture me as Wile E Coyote getting clobbered by an ACME Anvil). So, to slake your thirst for more cartoonish capers, here is one more heaping helping of memory prompters. Some were inspired by your comments last week. Others, I just tried to mine a few more obscure clips. And to start us off, here's a few of those Saturday morning preview ads so prominently featured in the comics. They always appeared in late summer comics, so the anticipation they prompted for the new fall season helped take the sting out of the impending return of school...

Next up, before we hit the toons, here's a couple of fondly remembered Public Service-type spots that were common throughout  the 70's and 80's. Bet you still know the lyrics...

Schoolhouse Rock: Conjunction Junction

Time for Timer

And now, let's settle back and feast our eyes upon some more cartoons. How many do you remember?

Thundarr the Barbarian (1980)

Jabberjaw (1977)

Return to the Planet of the Apes (1976)

Where's Huddles (1970)

The Jackson Five (1971)

Groovie Ghoulies (1970)

Star Trek (1974)

Roger Ramjet (1965)

Underdog (1964)

Super Friends (1973)

The  Mighty Heroes (1966)

Smurfs (1981)

Wait 'Till Your Father Gets Home (1972)

Well, that about does it. We'd better turn off the set and get busy before we're told to "turn that off and go play outside". Hope you enjoyed another dose of classic animation; next week we'll be looking at some comics art. So until then, keep sharing those thoughts, and be well!