Richard Schaal in Jim Henson's teleplay, 'The Cube' (1969)

- This post continues from one posted at I'm Learning To Share, regarding some of Jim Henson's earlier muppetless productions.
Follow link to: Time out from the muppets:
Young Jim Henson's 'Tick-Tock Sick' (1960) and Time Piece (1965)

Other folks have previously blogged about 'The Cube', but as some of the links in those older posts appear to be dead, it looks like it's my turn...

The other night I did a bit of 'comfort viewing' and watched an old episode of Rhoda running on Hulu.

Among the instantly familiar '70s sitcom faces, I recognized
Richard Schaal, a character actor who was very visible on TV and in movies from the 1960s into the '80s.

I did vaguely recall that he'd once been married to Valerie Harper, which might have had a little to do with his recurring guest appearances in different roles on so many of the MTM shows.

Schaal became a member of Chicago's Second City improv comedy troupe in the early 1960s, and was one of their featured players for much of that decade.

In 1964, he joined the cast of the American TV version of
That Was the Week That Was, moved through the decade with guest shots on lots of TV sitcoms and dramas, had small roles in
'The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming', 'Slaughterhouse-Five' and other movies, and appeared with several other Second City alums on Broadway in the early '70's in Paul Sills' Story Theatre (and was on the subsequent Canadian TV series).

Also among Schaal's interesting credits is his leading role in an avant-garde existential teleplay, 'The Cube'.
It first aired in 1969 as an episode of the NBC anthology series, Experiment in Television, and was a creation of
Jim Henson, in one of his rare non-Muppet ventures.













In 'The Cube', ▼ Schall's unnamed character is suprised to find himself stuck in a small enclosed white-paneled space, apparently unable to leave as a variety of odd characters come and go as they please, adding to his confusion and anxiety.





Running time of the teleplay is about 53 minutes.



Alternate video link: The version embedded here is in color, with a relatively clear picture.
Perhaps given the look and feel of the piece, many people prefer viewing the much grainier black & white version that has been posted more often. (follow link)

- See also:
An episode guide for 'NBC Experiment in Television'(1967-71)

Mel Brooks' 'The Critic' (1963)

(click on poster image to enlarge in a new window)

Prior to his career as a producer / director for TV and feature film, Ernest Pintoff received an Oscar for Best Animated Short in April of 1964 for his film 'The Critic', which had premiered in
New York the previous May.

In a gentle lampoon of the style of innovative animated films created by
Norman McLaren and other filmmakers from The National Film Board of Canada, 'The Critic' featured the voice of Mel Brooks as an outspoken senior citizen sitting in the audience.

Brooks had been writing for TV since the 1950s and
'Your Show of Shows', which led to his stand-up partnership with
Carl Reiner and their string of comedy albums that began in 1961.

In 1962 Brooks provided the book for the Broadway musical production of 'All American', but the show flopped, and it would be many years before Brooks returned to Broadway.

Brooks collaborated with Buck Henry to create TV's
'Get Smart' in 1965.
1968's 'The Producers' marked his return to movies, and his debut as a feature film director.

- For a very thorough examination of the creation of 'The Critic' and other Mel Brooks short films, follow the link to
Smarter Than The Average!

- For more about Ernest Pintoff's animation, follow link to
Cartoon Modern, where you can view 'Flebus', a cartoon he directed for Terrytoons in 1957, and Frederator has posted about Pintoff's
'The Interview', from 1961.

Roland Kirk & John Cage in 'Sound', 1967

Director Dick Fontaine's 1967 documentary features composer
John Cage and jazz icon
Roland Kirk (it was 1970 when he became Rahsaan Roland Kirk) on separate but similar paths, exploring the possibilities of sound.

25 minutes, English w/ French subtitles.



- Streaming problems?
Here's an alternate link to this film, spread over three shorter video clips at YouTube.

Michael Palin & Terry Jones: 'The Complete & Utter History Of Britain' (1969)

'The Complete & Utter History Of Britain' was a short-lived British TV series created by Michael Palin and Terry Jones,
a few months prior to the formation of
Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Six episodes aired in early 1969, between Palin & Jones' appearances in the first and second seasons of 'Do Not Adjust Your Set'.

It has long been believed that no video from the series still existed, but some has resurfaced in recent years.

Below, ▼ the first episode, from January 12th, 1969 - - sadly, missing the first 2 minutes of the program...

(the embedded video is in a 'playlist' format, and should play continually through three parts)



The premise for the series was to present events from history as if television had existed at the time.

Though the results were often uneven, many elements used here by history buffs Palin & Jones would resurface time and again in various Python projects.

Below, ▼ episode 2, from January 19th, 1969

(again, the embedded 'playlist' should play continually
through three parts)


- These clips come courtesy of You Tube user Moriarty0001.
Follow the link to other Python-related curios on the channel.

Related material at YouTube:
- The Monty Python Channel
- The Monty Python Museum

Rocket Robin Hood episode 'Dementia Five'! (1968)

Rocket Robin Hood was an animated TV series produced in Canada from 1966 - 1969.

Remembered fondly by many who grew up in that era, it was a sci-fi adventure series that took Robin Hood and his
Merry Men and put them in an outer-space setting in the year 3000.

I recall absolutely adoring this show as a kid, and being shocked revisiting it years later years to discover how clunky the limited animation was and how simple the stories were.

Watching the show's opening theme though, ▼ I can still see now what I saw in it then...



- As a small bonus, also check out one of the 'expository vignettes' about one of Rocket Robin's men.
Follow the link this small clip of Friar Tuck, which left an indelible memory for me, and may be responsible for some of my adult eating habits...

Sometime during the second season of the show, personnel change in it's production team brought in background designer
Richard H. Thomas and director Ralph Bakshi.

Bakshi had worked his way up in the field of animation while working for Terrytoons and Famous Studios, before opening his own studio in 1968. It was in '72 that Bakshi released his adaptation of R.Crumb's 'Fritz The Cat', his first in a series of animated feature films.

By the third season of 'Rocket Robin Hood', Bakshi and Thomas had given the look and feel of the series a new, slightly darker, more psychedelic tone that often made for some curious results.

Below ▼, 'Dementia Five' - - by far the 'trippiest' episode of the series...

- As a bit of trivia, much of the 'Dementia Five' episode's storyline, script, voice talent and animation cels were re-used in a Spider-Man cartoon (produced at the same studio for American TV), for the 1970 episode 'Revolt In The Fifth Dimension', which you can currently watch at You Tube - -

- Spider-Man: 'Revolt In The Fifth Dimension', Part 1
- Spider-Man: 'Revolt In The Fifth Dimension', Part 2

(Thanks are due to animation historian Jerry Beck for re-kindling many fond memories at one of his Comic-Con 'Worst Cartoons' presentations.)

Los Bravos - Like Nobody Else (1966)

This cover of an early Bee Gee's tune was recorded by Madrid's
Los Bravos roughly around the same time that their huge hit
'Black Is Black' made them the first Spanish beat group to score a top ten hit in both the U.K. and the U.S.

- You can also hear their version of the same song song in Spanish, as 'Como Nadie Mas Te Amo Yo'.

Sugar Pie DeSanto - Rock Me Baby (1964)

This footage of diminutive blues-belter Sugar Pie DeSanto was captured during the American Folk Blues Festival as it toured Europe in 1964.

The backing band on this clip includes blues luminaries Willie Dixon on bass, Hubert Sumlin on guitar, and Clifton James on drums.

See also:
- A video clip of Sugar Pie performing 'Baby, What You Want Me To Do' from the same concert.

- A 1999 Sugar Pie DeSanto interview at Roctober.Com.

Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - Season Of The Witch (1968)

The track (first written and performed by Donovan) appeared on the 1967 LP, 'Open'

See also: A Julie Driscoll post at Another Nickel In The Machine

Hildegard Knef - Von nun an gings bergab (From Here On It Got Rough) (1968)

Below, German singer / actress Hildegard Knef (1925 - 2002) with the Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra, from a 1968 performance in Berlin.



- Follow the link to hear Knef's english language version of this song, or click on this one to read the lyrics in english.

Ernie Kovacs meets Esquivel - - 'Musical Office' & 'Kitchen Symphony' (1961)

Two classic musical moments from The Ernie Kovacs Show, featuring Juan Garcia Esquivel's space-age pop arrangements.

Above, ▲ versions of 'Jalousie' & 'Sentimental Journey'.

Below, ▼ Esquivel's arrangement of 'Cherokee' gets similar treatment.

Very innovative video concepts for 1961.

I was too young to have caught Ernie Kovacs on TV the first time around, but was completely glued to the 'best of' show that ran on PBS in the 1970s.

I never forgot these sequences.

In 1967, 'American Bandstand' teens react to changes in The Beatles' sound

By 1967, The Beatles were in the habit of using promotional film clips of their new songs that could stand in for them in lieu of personal appearances on TV.

The look of these musical shorts reflected the changes occurring in the sound and sensibilities of the fabs.
For better or worse, they were no longer the 'lovable moptops'.

Below, ▼ 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.



On March 11th, 1967, The Beatles won three Grammy awards, for the songs 'Eleanor Rigby', 'Michelle', and their LP 'Revolver'.

Meanwhile, they'd been in the studio recording tracks for their
'Sgt. Pepper' album that would be released later that year.

Also on March 11th, 1967, the 'Strawberry Fields' short was shown
(in black & white) on ABC's 'American Bandstand', along with their 'Penny Lane' promo.

Below, ▼ AB host Dick Clark sits in a Los Angeles TV studio and polls his teenage audience for their candid reactions to the latest from
The Beatles, and that's exactly what he gets...



Below, ▼ 'Penny Lane'.

Madeline Kahn in 'De Düva' (The Dove) (1968)

'De Düva', a brilliant parody of Ingmar Bergman's films, and one of Madeline Kahn's earliest film appearances.

It stars and was co-directed by George Coe, the 'forgotten' member of 'The Not Ready For Prime Time Players' in the first season of TV's 'Saturday Night Live'.

The film was nominated for a 'short subject' Oscar in the 1969 Academy Awards.

Louis Jordan - Saturday Night Fish Fry (1966)

From the TV show 'The!!! Beat' that was taped in Dallas, Texas and broadcast out of Nashville, Tennessee. (Or was it the other way around? Reports vary.)

The host is R&B disc jockey Bill "Hoss" Allen, the house band is The Beat Boys, led by guitarist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

Jordan was 58 at the time, and kicks ass. His appearances on this show were apparently the only time his performances were captured in color.

Allan Sherman on the Dean Martin Show - 1965

Two clips from a TV guest appearance on The Dean Martin Show that first aired on Thursday, October 7th, 1965.

'Skin' had been included on Sherman's 'Allan In Wonderland' LP, released in 1964.
'Secret Code' was from his '65 album, 'My Name Is Allan'.

Allan Sherman had been a TV game show producer in the 1950's, and often performed little song parodies for friends and family at parties.

In 1962, some of his showbiz friends made arrangements to secure Sherman a recording contract.
His first few albums were a huge success, especially 1963's 'My Son, The Nut', which contained the novelty hit, 'Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh (A Letter From Camp)'.



See also:
- The extensive Allan Sherman Discography at POV Online.

- Allan Sherman: The Internet Site

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - 'Canyons Of Your Mind' from Colour Me Pop, 1968

Bad Brains meets Leonard Nimoy

In 1979, 'Pay To Cum' was the earliest single released by
Washington, D.C. hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains.

'The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins' was a song included on Leonard Nimoy's second LP, 'The Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy', in 1968.

His lip-synching performance of the song was broadcast well in advance of its commercial release on the July 28, 1967 episode of 'Malibu U', a short-lived TV variety series.

- Click here to see a black & white version of the full 'Bilbo Baggins' video, with introduction by Rick Nelson.