Monthly Archives: July 2024

Here's a really good rendition of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from the 1992 Tony Awards. I saw this revival of Guys and Dolls back in New York…and I do know the guy playing Nicely-Nicely was Walter Bobbie and that there's a very young Nathan Lane in there (playing Nathan Detroit) and you can see a then-largely-unknown J.K. Simmons in there, too. A fine production…

Praveena Somasundaram — who may not even have been born when it happened — reminds us of that day when America was shocked by President Lyndon Johnson announcing he would not seek re-election.

I was sixteen that night and did not hear it live. He kind of buried the lede in a long speech about the Vietnam War. I was watching something else in my room when my mother came in and told me I might want to switch over to what the three major networks were carrying. It was just post-speech and I recall a couple of unprepared-for-this news anchors babbling on, gasping 'n' grasping for something to say about L.B.J.'s utterly-unexpected announcement. The phrase "It's a brand-new ball game" was heard a couple of times.

Gee, I wonder why The Washington Post ran an article about this now.

Thursday, July 25 — 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM in Room 9
MEET MICHAEL HIRSH
Business Chief magazine called Michael Hirsh "The Father of Canadian Animation." He co-founded Nelvana, the firm responsible for animating such famous cartoon franchises as, among so many others, The Care Bears, Babar, Barbie, Max and Ruby, The Magic School Bus, Beetlejuice, The Adventures of Tintin, Franklin, Cyberchase, and The Berenstain Bears, along with such larger-than-life personalities as Roseanne Barr, Mr. T., Deborah Harry, and Tim Burton. How did he do it? That's the question your moderator Mark Evanier will be asking in this rare one-on-one interview.

Thursday, July 25 — 11:00 AM to NOON in Room 4
SPOTLIGHT ON JACK C. HARRIS
Jack C. Harris began writing and editing DC Comics in 1977; among the many comics he wrote and/or edited were Kamandi, Wonder Woman, House of Mystery, Sgt. Rock, Isis, Green Lantern, The Superman Family, The Unexpected, Weird War Tales, and Detective Comics. His work appeared later in Marvel Comics and Heavy Metal, among other publications. In short, he's been active in comics for decades, has worked with a wide range of editors, writers, and artists, and is a Comic-Con special guest. Here's your chance to hear him tell his experiences as he's interviewed by Mark Evanier.

Thursday, July 25 — 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM in Room 4
SPOTLIGHT ON KEN STEACY
Ken Steacy's visual storytelling career spans a half-century, as a writer, artist, art director, editor, and publisher. He has chronicled the exploits of Astro Boy, Iron Man, Harry Potter, and the Star Wars gang; and, in addition to producing his own IP, he has collaborated with Margaret Atwood, Harlan Ellison, and Trina Robbins. The recipient of an Eisner Award and an Inkpot Award, in 2009 Ken was inducted into the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement award for contributions to the industry. He'll be talking about all this and more in this spotlight when he is ruthlessly interrogated by Mark Evanier.

Thursday, July 25 — 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM in Room 4
SPOTLIGHT ON JO DUFFY
Jo Duffy has written comics including Power Man and Iron Fist, Catwoman, Batman, Wolverine, Fallen Angels, Nestrobber, Glory, Crystar, Elvira, Defenders, Punisher, and Star Wars, as well as the English-language edition of Akira. She has written short stories, essays, the comic book biography of Saint Francis, and an adaptation of Kipling's Jungle Book, and is the co-writer of two Puppet Master movies. She was the managing editor of Epic magazine and an editor at Marvel Comics, handling such titles as Elektra, Daredevil, Dreadstar, Groo, Doctor Strange, Hulk, and ROM. Hear about all this and more when she is interviewed in this spotlight by Mark Evanier.

Everything above is subject to change. The entire programming schedule will eventually be online and you can commit it to memory on this page. I will not be sitting anywhere signing stuff during the convention but will gladly write my name on a few things for anyone who attends any of the above panels, time permitting.

Kevin Drum — a blogger I've lunched with and trust a lot, especially on statistics — says that inflation hit zero in June. It seems to be part of the pro-Trump messaging that it's wildly outta control and killing us but…well, look at Kevin's chart and tell me why he's wrong. Because I don't think he is.

Kevin also notes that Trump is now lying about the price of bacon…

Why would anyone make up lies as frivolous as this? Because Trump lives in a fantasy world where everything has to be the worst ever in history unless he was personally involved with it. His brain is so badly beyond repair that I suspect he literally can't help himself, and he's surrounded by sycophants who will never confront him with the truth. This is not a man fit to be president of the United States.

So at the moment, we have a choice of two guys. One gets some things (mostly trivial) wrong because he's old. One gets everything wrong because he lies. I don't think either one oughta be President of the United States next year but one of them has a support team to correct him.

In the previous post, I attempted to identify two of the performers in this post. This morning, I have a slew of e-mails on this, some telling me I'm right, some telling me I'm wrong…and the ones telling me I'm wrong do not agree on who those performers really are. So I hereby retract (and have deleted) my identifications. If you think you know for sure, please tell me why I should trust your identifications or how I can verify them online. Thank you.

Speaking of the number "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" in Guys and Dolls, here's the way they did it in a 2015 London revival in which Richard Kind — you'll see him for a few seconds — played Nathan Detroit. I did a mess o' Googling and was unable to ascertain the name of the gent playing Nicely-Nicely Johnson.

We were talking about Guys and Dolls and about the show-stopper of a number, "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." The wonderful Shelly Goldstein sent me this link to that number as it's currently being performed in a rousing revival of that show at the Bridge Theatre located near Tower Bridge in London — just in case you're in the area. If I were there, I'd go just to see and hear this in person…

And before they got to that number, I'd enjoy this one…

This year, I'm delighted that we'll be having Piotr Michael on the Saturday Cartoon Voice Panel. Wanna hear a small (very small) sample of who this guy can sound like? Watch this…

Piotr and five other talented folks will be on the Saturday Cartoon Voices Panel. It's on Saturday, July 27 in room 6BCF and it starts at 1 PM, right after the Quick Draw! Come for one, stay for both.

A lot of Liberal-type folks are angry at The New York Times for urging Joe Biden to step down for the good of the country. A lot of them are saying "That paper never urged Donald Trump to step aside for the good of the country," as if Donald Trump would ever forego fame, power, money and not going to prison for the good of anyone or anything. Now, some are mad because of a guest opinion piece by George Clooney called "I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee." He makes a damned good case.

I've been saying on this blog and to friends for some time that it wouldn't surprise me if the November election wasn't between Biden and Trump. That's looking a little more likely now than it once did. It also wouldn't surprise me if Biden has decided to withdraw but has reasons for doing it when he does it. I'm not predicting that will happen; just saying it wouldn't surprise me.

I have a flurry of e-mails asking me about this article which basically says that Comic-Con International is threatening to move out of San Diego if certain local hotels near the S.D. Convention Center don't cease rate-gouging. I have no inside info on the negotiations or discussions but I'll stick with my long-time prediction that Comic-Con will not in our lifetimes — well, mine at least — move out of San Diego County.

I base that on my belief that the hoteliers, merchants and officials in S.D. could not possibly be brain-dead foolish enough to let it go. Comic-Con is what put the city on the map as a convention destination and it brings in way more cash than any other event that could possibly occupy the convention center on those dates. They'll make the necessary financial accommodations to keep their accommodations accommodating Comic-Congoers for a week every July.

The wonderful Debi Derryberry has been heard on a staggering number of cartoon shows, voicing an array of the most interesting young ladies (and sometimes young men) in animation. Here are some samples of her work…

And you can see and hear her in person at Comic-Con International this year, particularly on Sunday, July 28, when she joins five other sensational voice actors on the Sunday Cartoon Voices Panel at 11:45 AM in Room 6A. She'll also be a part of the Business of Cartoon Voices where actors, agents and I advise wanna-be cartoon voice actors on how to get into the business and how to not get swindled on the way in. That's in Room 7AB at 3 PM, again on Sunday.

Plus: Debi will also be signing in the Sails Pavillion at the con on Thursday (2:30 PM – 5:30 PM), on Friday (10 AM to 2:30 PM), on Saturday (10 AM to 2:30 PM) and on Sunday (1 PM until 2:30 PM). So you have many chances to meet and hear this extraordinary lady.

In 1939, Fleischer Studios — the folks who brought you Betty Boop, most of the good Popeye cartoons and many others — released Gulliver's Travels, their first animated feature. It was a pretty big hit so they immediately made another feature…Mr. Bug Goes To Town, which was made for the 1941 Christmas market. It turned out to have two problems, one being that a few days after it was previewed, Pearl Harbor was bombed and America turned topsy-turvy. The other problem was that a lot of people didn't like Mr. Bug Goes To Town, at least not as much as they'd liked Gulliver's Travels.

In short, Mr. Bug did not go to town. The film did not do well and led to Max and Dave Fleischer losing their studio. The film was re-released a few times, often under the name Hoppity Goes To Town, which is the name you'll see on the video below if you deign to watch.

I have a vague memory of going to a movie theater with my parents when I was around eight or so to see an afternoon matinee of cartoons. Greater affection hath no parents than to sit through five or six Casper and Buzzy the Crow shorts but even my folks' love for me and my love of cartoons both had their limits. Maybe twenty minutes into whatever the feature below was called then, we left and I think it was my idea. I know we weren't the only ones.

But that was then and this is probably now. There are plenty of things I didn't like then and do like now…and vice-versa. I have friends who think it's a great movie…and it does seem to have good animation, good gag writers, good voice people and songs by some of the best songwriters of the day. So when I get the time — which may not be until after Comic-Con — I'm going to give it another chance…

My buddy Bob Bergen has been the voice of Porky Pig most of the times when Porky has appeared since the great Mel Blanc became the late Mel Blanc. He's also spoken for several of the other Warner Brothers characters and many other great animated personalities, plus his is the voice you hear on promos for the new MeTV Toons channel. Here are some golden moments with Mr. Pig as performed by Mr. Bergen…

Wanna hear Bob do some of his amazing vocal gymnastics in person? He and five other great toon voicers will be on the Saturday Cartoon Voices panel at Comic-Con this year. It's Saturday, July 27 at 1 PM in Room 6BCF, hosted by the guy who runs this blog. And if you're smart enough to get there earlier, you'll have a good seat for Quick Draw!, the fastest and funniest panel at Comic-Con. Same day, same room but it starts at 11:45 AM and usually fills up well before that.

My old pal Pat O'Neill took exception to my belief that in the movie of Guys and Dolls, Frank Sinatra should have played Sky Masterson. Here's what he sent me…

Why do so many people think this? Sky Masterson has to be big and imposing, so that his threats have weight behind them. At this stage of his life, Sinatra was still a skinny little runt. Sure, he had the voice for the role (maybe — it's written for a belting baritone and Sinatra was a tenor), but not the look.

Who should have played Sky? Well, why not the guy who originated the role on Broadway — Robert Alda?

Why not Ethel Merman in the movie of Gypsy, Carol Channing in the movie of Hello Dolly, Stephen Douglass in the movie of Damn Yankees…or a dozen others that readers of this blog could name? (I started to type in "Zero Mostel in the movie of Fiddler on the Roof" but I think that was just a matter of Zero wanting too much money, not someone's idea of a more marketable lead. How about Julie Andrews in the movie of My Fair Lady?)

Hollywood has rarely operated that way and Samuel Goldwyn wanted movie stars in his movie. And here's an interesting consideration: Do we think that if Sinatra or Brando had wanted to play Sky Masterson on Broadway in the original production and had been willing to work for the same money Robert Alda got, that Alan Alda's daddy would have gotten the part?

If you want to argue that the person who originated the role on Broadway should always get the movie…or that the best person actor-wise should always get the movie regardless of star power…okay. We can have that discussion. I'd be on your side in many cases. But like I said, Hollywood has rarely operated that way.

I think Sinatra should have played Sky Masterson. No, he was not as physically intimidating as Brando but I think he was a good enough actor to pull it off. More importantly, he was a singer — one of the most popular singers ever. And they put him in a role that was tailored for the non-singing Sam Levene and instead put the non-singing Marlon Brando in the singing part.

Which of course led to someone there saying, "Sinatra fans will be really disappointed if they buy tickets to this movie and he doesn't sing" so they added in the wholly-expendable, not-up-to-Frank-Loesser-standards song "Adelaide" and stuck Nathan in the title number where he really didn't belong. (You know who I think should have played Nathan Detroit in the movie? Phil Silvers. A fast-talking gambler who tries to weasel out on deals and not even commit to his longtime fiancée? Tell me that isn't a Phil Silvers role.)

A lot of folks don't know this but years later when Sinatra had his own record label — Reprise — and could do anything he wanted, he recorded a studio cast album of Guys and Dolls, recruiting Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore and others. Debbie Reynolds did the Adelaide songs and Allan Sherman sang (opposite her) the one song Nathan Detroit had in the stage version, "Sue Me." Frank, of course, sang all the Sky Masterson songs and he was great. (Oh — and Sammy Davis Jr. sang "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat.")

There's a long story that I'm not sure I know well enough to relate here about the original soundtrack recording of the movie. It was a small record with just a few songs and it wasn't until years later that there was an LP with all the songs from the movie on it. If someone who knows more about this can explain it, I'll run the explanation here. I just kinda think the movie was disappointing in a musical sense — it also dropped some great songs from Broadway — and it wouldn't have been if Frank had been Sky. And Phil had been Nathan.

This does not appear to be a bootleg or unauthorized upload. It's the complete movie of Guys and Dolls on YouTube. See Marlon Brando play Sky Masterson! See Frank Sinatra play the wrong part instead of the one Brando played! If nothing else, fast forward to 2:18:45 (or click here) to see Stubby Kaye stop and steal the show with his rendition of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." Or you can just watch the whole movie…