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Saturday, January 12, 2008
Renowned cabaret singer Ruth Wallis passed away a few weeks back, on December 22nd, 2007, at age 87.
During the 1940's, '50's and '60's she was known for her risqué novelty songs and 'party' records.
As with so many other things in our jaded modern world, her music is awfully tame by today's standards - - even charmingly quaint, perhaps - - like about a half-step beyond Benny Hill, okay?
She caused a stir in her day, however.
The double entendres peppered throughout her songs were considered shocking to many, if not just plain lewd.
It was likely the fact that her records couldn't be played on most radio stations that eventually led her to found her own record label.
- Follow link to her
New York Times Obituary.
Listen to:
Ruth Wallis -
Psycho Mambo
(Wallis Original Records 78, circa 1954)
(click for audio)
Listen to:
Ruth Wallis -
This Old House
(Wallis Original Records 78, circa 1954)
(click for audio)
(This song ⬆ parodies 'This Ole House', a popular song from 1954. Rosemary Clooney's version reached #1 in the US charts.)
Listen to:
Ruth Wallis -
Stay Out of My Pantry
(Wallis Original Records 78, circa 1953)
(click for audio)
Listen to:
Ruth Wallis -
The New Yo-Yo Song
(Wallis Original Records 78, circa 1953)
(click for audio)
See also:
- Ruth Wallis Album cover scans and more at Queer Music Heritage
- Collected Works of Ruth Wallis - -
39 more songs from 78s available as streaming audio at Internet Archive
Friday, January 11, 2008
Okay then, back into the swing or something like it after a small interruption this week.
There was a very brief power outage here the other day, and just about the only notice I took of it was when it somehow managed to screw up some of my computer junk for a bit.
The problems were thankfully minor, but the time involved to set everything straight was tedious and frustrating. Such is life.
Last week I reported my excitement over the upcoming Malcolm McDowell appearance here in conjunction with the film about Lindsay Anderson.
Sadly, I found out yesterday that the screening and the local appearance have both been cancelled.
The word is that McDowell "couldn't fit Boise into his schedule". I sort of hate to say it, but I think most anyone could have told him that...
I'd love to hear an excuse like, "Boise?!? My agent said Boston!".
But enough with the bitchery - - here's a few other things that popped up this week!
1. Top Ten Astronomy Pictures of 2007!
Big thanks to my buddy Joe Sixpack for sending along the link, as catalogued at the Bad Astronomy Blog.
It's a collection of beautiful and fun and sobering images, like this shot ➤
of a ring of dark matter in a cluster of galaxies 5 billion light years away.
2. Also within the realm of groovy science is the plan for some 'AquaBuoy' wave energy converters to be installed off the Northern California coast, serving as a clean power plant that generates electricity from the movement of ocean waves.
(Via Information Junk.)
3. Dwaah!!
The very welcome word on the street wafted in this past week (via TVShowsOnDVD.com) that the 1990's animated TV series 'Duckman' should finally be coming to DVD, beginning later this year with a season 1 & 2 boxset.
I'm SO there. I've missed that show...
4. Jalopnik has posted photos of 150 Old Cars found parked on the streets of Alameda, California.
Alameda's just that kinda gal, bless her.
5. Thwipp!
An old post at Space Patrol delivers up 'Secrets of "The Adventures of Spider-Man"'.
Available for download are tracks from an LP, 'Jazz From Great TV Shows'.
A few of the tracks were later used as background music in the 1967 'Spiderman' animated TV show, and should be instantly recognizable by anyone who remembers watching it.
I always thought that music (and - - of course - - the 1967 'Spiderman'theme song) were the coolest parts of that series. (As of this writing, the download link is still active.)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Right off the bat, in discussing humorist Henry Morgan
in this day and age, let's NOT CONFUSE HIM with
Harry 'Colonel Potter' Morgan from MASH and Dragnet.
Two entirely different creatures.
Beginning in 1952, Henry Morgan was a featured guest panelist on TV's 'I've Got A Secret' and several other game shows through the 1960's and into the '70's.
Like many other regular panelists, becoming known as a game show fixture may have eventually overshadowed his previous professional life.
For Morgan, that was as a radio comedian with a dry wit comparable to that of Fred Allen.
If his style also bore similarities to that of author
Robert Benchley, it seems appropriate that the three of them enjoyed something of a mutual admiration society.
Enjoy the audio I've posted here, but please also explore these links to learn more about Henry Morgan.
- Henry Morgan at Wikipedia - - also has links to archives of several complete 'Here's Morgan' radio shows from the early '40's.
- 'Henry Morgan: Fuck the Sponsor', a definitive article on Morgan at WFMU's Beware of the Blog.
The Riverside LP below ⬇ (also issued on Riverside's Judson imprint) found Morgan reprising various monologues he'd performed, many of them dating back to his heyday in radio.
I'll guess that it was recorded around 1957, give or take. (Please correct me if you know better)
I've found one discography that infers that its release was in 1964, but that just seems unlikely to me...
From the 10" LP 'Here's Morgan' (Riverside Records, 195?),
Listen to:
Little Red Riding Rouge
Googie Morgan on Baseball
Advertising
The Truth About Cowboys
The Invention of Time
Hey, Bud
Morgan's own liner notes to the above tracks...
A word about the artist: Mr. Morgan is an Artist.
A few words about these examples of his Art:
1. Little Riding Hood Rouge
The story as told to the Artist (see above) by an Alsatian carver of netsuke on a rainy day in Juin (June).
The dialect employed is that of the Fragonard section of Paris, a district inhabited by fleas, who, it is interesting to note, maintain a market there.
2. Googie Morgan on Baseball
This is anti-British, in a way, but it's not normal to like absolutely everybody.
There are individual Englishmen who are very likeable, but they stay home and let the British enjoy them.
Not one word of the foregoing is true, but I like a bit of controversy now and then.
3. Advertising
There are many more things to be said than there was space for on this record and I hope in future to be able to devote an entire half hour to the subject of advertising. An immense popular demand will do the trick.
Address your letters to "Advertising Council of America, Mason and Dixon Street, City."
If you don't like this material your dealer will be insane to refund your money.
4. The Truth About Cowboys
These remarks were made in the belief that no cowboy has a machine which will play LPs.
If any cowhoy should happen to hear this stuff, I plead with him to remember that he and I are Americans and must stand together against a hostile world.
Anybody will teIl you what a great kidder I am, too.
5. The Invention of Time
Originally this was a sketch with four or five actors in radio.
I've made it into a monologue because, among other things, we needed something in this space.
Also, it might bring back memories to some old die-hards who remember radio before the war. Any war.
6. Hey, Bud
Like many of the characters on this disc, this one is from an old radio monologue.
He was invented during the days of gasoline coupons.
This sneak could get you nylons, meat - - anything that was in short supply.
I remember he got sugar by distilling Coca-Cola.
-HENRY MORGAN
During the 1940's Morgan was often tagged as
'the bad boy' of radio.
His brand of satirical humor was popular with audiences as he worked his way up to a half-hour network show.
His reputation for on-air disrespect to his sponsors was notorious. The playful irreverence displayed during his commercial announcements could just as easily escalate to transparent disdain.
Though it never seemed to hurt the sales of the product he was hawking, (or his ratings) it got him in trouble regularly, and several sponsors tired of his services.
During WWII, Morgan's show came to an end when he joined the military in 1943.
The excerpts archived below are from one of the shows he had following his post-war return to radio.
Hearing a few of these barbs, I'm struck by how that brand of 'biting the hand that feeds you' still sounds pretty risky.
I think a contemporary media personality would still have trouble getting away with it today.
It's too smart, and it's assumes that the audience is that smart as well.
Listen to the following commercial announcements from the Henry Morgan ABC-Radio Eversharp-Schick Program, featuring Henry Morgan, announcer Charlie Irving, and Bernie Green's Orchestra (1946-47): 
Saves You Time #1
Razor Comparison Test
A Startling Announcement
I'll Say One Thing For The Razor...
Greetings From Eversharp-Schick
Leading Atheletes
Shavathon #1
New Years Resolution
Without An Audience, Yet
Push-Pull, Click-Click
Aristocracy
Commercial Announcement For Kids
Singing Commercial
Shavathon #2
Saves You Time #2
A Startling Testimonial
Bored Sophistication
Banner Year
Trumpet Goof
The Greatest Invention
Saves You Time #3
(click for audio)
- - OR download all 21 Eversharp-Schick Commercial tracks in one 24.4 Mb zipfile.
