Vinyl Dynamite #12: Sunshine

What a depressing movie! The tagline reads: "Sunshine is based on a true story of what it is to be young, and a mother, and in love, and dying." If you plan on renting it at the local video store, be sure to buy a bottle of Scotch on the way home - you'll need something to dull the pain.
Take a listen to the introduction from the soundtrack. Beware, you're about to have your good mood torn asunder.



The TV movie was broadcast in 1973 and was a huge success. The movie utilized several John Denver tunes, and featured Christina Raines (the star of the awesome 70's horror film The Sentinel), Cliff DeYoung, and Meg Foster (she was Evil-Lyn in the Masters of the Universe movie). The film was based on an actual case history of a cancer victim, taken from a tape-recorded diary. The story takes place with the woman living in the wilderness with her boyfriend, who is a struggling musician, and her baby daughter.


Unbelievably, the movie was made into a regular series in '75 - there was no laugh track (thank God), but it wasn't the sort of thing that made for good ratings. Folks just didn't want to see a woman dying of cancer every week, and it was cancelled after only 13 episodes. Oddly enough, there was a Sunshine Christmas Special in 1977.


There was this strange melancholic 5-6 year period wedged between the two exhuberant periods of psychedelia and disco, where singer songwriters like James Taylor and groups like Bread topped the charts. It shouldn't surprise us, then, that Sunshine fit like a glove to television audiences in 1973.

Troubling Pancake Ad

I apologize if this is offensive to anyone - it certainly was to me. However, this ad from a 1942 Women's Day magazine is so shocking I simply had to share. I'm not even referring to the Jemima character - I'm talking about the speech bubble near the bottom:

"That's the way to handle those Japs! Just give 'em a quick stir and pop 'em on the griddle!"

WTF? Can you imagine this sort of thing being published today? I'm not even sure what he means - I'm guessing he's not talking about cannibalism. Perhaps "pop 'em on the griddle" means "shoot them in face"? I'm confused.

BTW: I am a bit curious who illustrated this advertisement- the style seems very familiar. Chick Young maybe?

Retrospace's Top 10 Sexiest Cartoon Ladies

Okay, I admit it. Choosing the hottest cartoon ladies was not exactly an intellectual endeavor; but then nothing on Retrospace ever is. And, ladies, before you click away from this page, know one thing - there is not a man on this planet who has not either discussed this subject or contemplated it privately. Okay, maybe there's some poor sap working in a rice paddy somewhere in Laos that hasn't.... but other than him - everyone's thought about it.

So, let's get on with it. Who are the sexiest cartoon ladies? Well, if you scout around the internet you'll find that Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop pretty much own this distinction everywhere you look. Not surprisingly, my list is a lot different than most. It is what it is - what can I say?

10. Tarra (Herculoids)
The voice of Tarra was done by Virginia Gregg, best known for her voice acting in the role of Norman Bates' mother in the movie Psycho.

9. Alexandra Cabot (Josie and the Pussycats)
I wonder about some of these animated shows for kids back in the 1970's. It seems like they were almost designed to titilate young boys. Josie and the Pussycats was notorious for doing this. I mean, my Lord, look at the picture above - this is what kids in the 70's were staring at every Saturday morning. Is it any wonder we're STILL talking about this stuff thirty years later?

8. Ann-Magrock (The Flintstones)
While the rest of the world debates about whether it's Betty or Wilma, I choose neither. I'll take the Stone Age Ann-Margret.

7. Jeannie (Jeannie)
The voice of Jeannie, Julie McWhirter, is the wife of disk jockey Rick Dees.

6. Taffy (Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels)
The blonde member of a trio of crimefighting "Angels", Taffy was an obvious take-off of Farrah Fawcett's character on "Charlie's Angels" - although, a lot more ditzy.

5. Red (Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood)
The sizzling hot Red was drawn to resemble Betty Grable.

4. Jane Jetson (The Jetsons)
The voice of Jane Jetson, Penny Singleton, was a well known actress who played the role of Blondie in the numerous movies based on the Chic Young comic Blondie.

3. Rosemary (Hong Kong Phooey)
This leggy lady was the telephone operator at the police station... and a stone cold fox. Rosemary was voiced by Kathy Gori, a disc jocky for KMPC (a Korean radio station in Los Angeles).

2. Princess Daphne (Dragon's Lair laserdisc video game)
"Dragon's Lair is this summer's hottest new toy: the first arcade game in the United States with a movie-quality image to go along with the action."-- Newsweek (August 8, 1983)

1. Daphne Blake (Scooby-Doo)
It simply doesn't get any better than this, folks. Can you imagine the level of sexual tension inside that Mystery Machine? I'll bet Fred, Shaggy AND Velma were continually fighting off lustful thoughts. Yes, you read it right the first time - I said Velma. She swung that way.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Francesca from the Rankin Bass movie, Mad Monster Party. She's animated, but not a cartoon. So, poor Francesca was disqualified on a technicality.

2. Witch Hazel ("Broomstick Bunny" - a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes Short)
Normally an old hag, at the end of the short Hazel turns into a smoking hot babe. The magic mirror on the wall is so overcome with lust, he comes out of the mirror growling "ROWR, ROWR" and chases here down. Unfortunately, she's in it so briefly, I didn't feel right putting her in the top ten.

Foxy Ladies #3: Melody Anderson

Currently a substance abuse counsellor in New York City, Melody Anderson was once a premier fox of the 1980's.

She began her career as a model for Ridgid Tools. This plumbing tool manufacturer has been putting out provocative calendars since the 1930's. Their slogan is a cheeky little double entendre: "I love a RIDGID tool". Sadly, I cannot find a picture of her from an old calendar, but I shall persist. Perhaps, she's in this one...

During the 1980's, Melody was everywhere you looked. She had a leading role in Flash Gordon (1980) and played opposite Chuck Norris in Firewalker (1986). She was basically omnipresent on the boob tube - looking at her resume on IMDb, one wonders what 1980's show wasn't she on? St. Elsewhere, The A-Team, T.J. Hooker, C.H.i.P.S., Jake and the Fat Man, Dallas, Archie Bunker's Place, etc., etc.

My personal favorite of her TV work is Manimal. Anyone remember this show? It was about a guy that could transform into an animal to solve crime. He basically had the same power as Jayna of the Wonder Twins. It was a beautiful thing to behold.



Although she is best known for Flash Gordon, my favorite movie on Melody Anderson's resume would have to be Dead & Buried (1981). An underrated horror film about reanimated corpses in a small New England town, with some truly frightening scenes.

She stars alongside James Farentino, the guy who played Peter in Jesus of Nazareth (1977). He's a great actor.... too bad he was arrested for stalking Frank Sinatra's daughter, Tina, (he pled guilty) and then busted again for cocaine possession.

In stark contrast to Farentino, Anderson retired from acting in the mid 90's and began an impressive career in susbstance abuse treatment. She has has lectured locally and internationally on her treatment methods. In 1998, she spoke at the International Council on Alcoholism and Addictions in Malta, sharing with doctors and other health care professionals her epidemiological views of addiction. Her point of view holds that addiction stems from biochemical imbalances rather than conscious choice.

I'm impressed. Not too shabby for a former plumbing tools poster girl!

The Great Read Award

Tommy Salami at Pluck You, Too! and Keith at The Dino Lounge have both bestowed the "Great Read Award" upon Retrospace. Much thanks to these two guys who both run multiple blogs, all of them awesome.

I jump at any opportunity to spread the good word about great blogs that are out there. I chose 10 blogs that I enjoy visiting on a regular basis. I could have easily named more.

Harry Moseby Confidential
70's Child
Glamour a-go-go!
I'm Learning to Share
Judge a Book by Its Cover
Monkey Muck
LP Cover Lover
Knitting Pattern Handsome
Paco Camino
Sitcom Diablo

Will the winners of the "Great Read Award" please step forward and collect your award. Display it proudly in your sidebar - you earned it.

Vinyl Dynamite #11: Meatballs

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I went to the flea market with my dad last week. As we poured through the bins of old vinyl, he kept handing me great albums by The Doors, The Byrds, Steely Dan, etc. and I kept saying "no thanks" and picked up the Meatballs soundtrack instead.

"Why in the hell would you choose the soundtrack to Meatballs over these classic albums?" he wanted to know. This really gets to the heart of why one collects records in the first place. It has a lot to do with getting something that you can't just download from iTunes or buy in a store. Meatballs has been long out of print, and here it is in my hands. It has the rare extended dance version of "Makin' It" - the shorter version of the song went gold and spawned a sitcom.

The album also features songs by Mary "Torn Between Two Lovers" McGregor and Rick "Disco Duck" Dees; however, my favorite may be the "C.I.T. Song" simply for the fond memories of singing it over and over with my friends back in '79:

We are the CIT's so pity us,
the kids are brats the food is hideous.
We're gonna smoke and drink and fool around.
We're nookie bound.
We're the North Star CIT's.



By the way, C.I.T. stands for "counsellors-in-training"

And who can forget the opening song "Are You Ready for the Summer" by the Camp North Star Kids Chorus? Bill Murray's dialogue within the song is pretty hilarious.

High Times on Saturday Morning

It’s hard to watch a Sid & Marty Krofft production today and not notice the trademarks of drug use. Except for the case of Land of the Lost, perhaps, their shows were trippy beyond measure with day-glow colors and fantastical landscapes and characters that had more in common with psychedelia than standard children’s programming.

A shining example of drug inspiration in Krofft productions is H.R. Pufinstuf. The reefer references abound. Here’s just a few:

1. Pufnstuf sounds a lot like "puffing stuff"
2. H.R. is believed to stand for "hand rolled"
3. H.R. Pufnstuf is the mayor - a code for marijuana
4. H.R. Pufnstuf is green with red hair - just like cannabis buds
5. The last line of the chorus at the beginning and end of the show can easily be taken as a pot reference: "H.R. Pufnstuf, can't do a little, 'cause you can't do enough!"
6. Witchiepoo makes food called "roach beef sandwiches"
7. Freddie the Flute gets turned into a "magic mushroom"
And so on. Read more on the subject in an article at Cannabis Culture.

Of course the same sort of thing has been said of “Puff the Magic Dragon” with his friend little Johnny Paper (i.e. rolling paper). The artists always deny the drug connection, but the belief persists nonetheless.

Of course, children’s programming is an easy target since it generally involves fantastical creations of some kind. Hell, even Mr. Rogers’ Make Believe Neighborhood could be construed as being a tad trippy. Daniel Stripèd Tiger and X the Owl always kind of freaked me out. And haven’t we heard the same sort of thing in recent times about the Teletubbies?

A prime example of a children's show on acid is the 1970’s Dutch series Ti-Ta-Tovenaar. In this picture, Ti-Ta-Tovenaar is looking for a spell to turn strawberries into camels. Strawberries into camels?!? Also, when Ti-Ka (the lady above) plays her Magic Flute her monkey Tato appears. They must have been smoking some good stuff in Amsterdam back then. (A link to a full episode here. The image was found here on Flickr)

I guess the more appropriate question may be “What WASN’T drug influenced in the late sixties and early seventies?” Take a good long look at the clothes, the wallpaper, the music, the movies… drugs played a hand in nearly all of the cultural products of this era. Why would we expect anything else from children’s programming?