On Saturday December 2 of 2023, the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festival returns to Foothill College's Room 5015 with an indescribable blend of outrageous, hilarious, bizarre and fun forgotten (sometimes justifiably) footage.
That means B-movie trailers, 1930's cartoons, vintage movie theatre "snack bar" ads, Scopitones, Soundies and kidvid gone wrong, terribly wrong.
Personally, I will be more than ready for the "and now for something completely different - and now here's something completely different from what you just watched" philosophy that the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festival is all about. Never, ever know just what reels my co-conspirator archivists Sci Fi Bob Ekman and Scott Moon will bring to the show - and that's the way I like it! The Psychotronix dream team - Robert Emmett of KFJC, Sci Fi Bob, Scott and, presenting the always epic display of one sheets and lobby cards, Gary "The Poster King" Hascall - is back!
When: Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Where: Room 5015, Foothill College campus 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills (El Monte exit off 280)
Note: some combination of the fellas who bring you Psychotronix will be on KFJC Monday evening on Thoughtline with Robert Emmett, starting at 6:00 p.m. PST.
A week after the Foothill College show, the crew will be back at the Orinda Theatre for a Christmas show. Now where the heck did I put that 16mm print of HOWDY DOODY'S CHRISTMAS?
31 years have passed since the first Psychotronix Film Festival - and we're amazed, thrilled and delighted to still be doing this. This Blogmeister shall return to his former stomping grounds, the San Francisco Bay Area, for another opportunity to put on, as the great impressionist Will Jordan would say, "a rilllllllly big shoe" - and be one of Foothill College's visiting professors!
Well, it's Thanksgiving (and the start of hearing godawful holday season music everywhere) yet again!
Thanksgiving means turkey songs!
Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog posts the same Thanksgiving turkey cartoons every year. Alas, we have no plans to stop that practice anytime soon!
We'll start, not surprisingly, with an inexplicably odd one from the oddest and most inexplicable of all cartoon studios, Screen Gems. I personally get a big kick out of these cartoons but can certainly imagine the likes of Sid Marcus and Cal Howard pondering "what weird bit can we do to vex audiences now?"
There are a bunch of Warner Bros cartoons about Thanksgiving and turkeys. We've posted several repeatedly over the years. As fervent Daffy Duck fans, we note that at least two of the very best Thanksgiving cartoons feature the wacky fowl.
While it's tough to pick one favorite Thanksgiving-themed cartoon, the following ranks high on the list.
It's directed by Art Davis and stars a diabolical but not-too-bright Daffy Duck who becomes Tom Turkey's personal trainer, while devouring food in mass quantities.
Hugh Harman made a pleasing cartoon for MGM starring an all-turkey ensemble patterned on Borrah Minnevich & His Harmonica Rascals. Seems like I post this one every year!
Happy Thanksgiving! Keep calm and watch cartoons before and after the courses (and between football games)!
And, along with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, tomorrow's Turkey Day entertainment shall include George Pal Puppetoons!
Been watching Puppetoons volume 1 and eagerly await the latest volume (#3) on Blu-ray.
For our monthly musical post, the respectful top hat tip goes to Johnny Mercer, singer-songwriter and founder of Capitol Records, born on Savannah, Georgia on November 18, 1909. Here, Johnny and Henry Mancini win the Academy Award for Moon River.
This writer finds the task of paying tribute to Johnny Mercer, founder of the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and celebrated by the Georgia Historical Society, a bit daunting due to the sheer quantity and breadth of material on him.
Classic movie tunes that feature Johnny Mercer lyrics - 19 were nominated for Academy Awards - in addition to "Moon River" (which was first seen in Breakfast At Tiffany's) include "Hooray for Hollywood" sung by Johnny "Scat" Davis and Frances Langford in HOLLYWOOD HOTEL)
And the ditty for which Mercer received a second Oscar, "In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (music by Hoagy Carmichael)," sung by Bing and Jane Wyman in Here Comes The Groom. . .
AND "On The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (music by Harry Warren), sung by Judy Garland in The Harvey Girls.
Johnny Mercer was a poetic lyricist on 1500+ songs in which he collaborated with a slew of top composers - the aforementioned Hoagy Carmichael, Harry Warren and Henry Mancini, as well as Richard Whiting, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh, and Jimmy Van Heusen - interpreted by dozens of the greatest vocalists and instrumentalists.
Johnny's friend Louis Armstrong introduced his tune Jeepers Creepers in the 1938 Dick Powell musical Going Places. Pops would subsequently hit many Johnny Mercer songs out of the park for the musical grand slam.
The bourbon-soaked lost love lament ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE FOR THE ROAD) was introduced by Fred Astaire in The Sky's The Limit (1943), but became (along with Earl Brent & Matt Dennis' Angel Eyes) among the signature tunes for Frank Sinatra.
Yes, crooners dig Johnny Mercer's lyrics the most.
Two Of A Kind, a meeting of the musical minds between Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer, with arrangements by Billy May, is one of this music aficionado's favorite albums. They are such a terrific team that I am a bit disappointed to have not found TV show appearances featuring the dynamic duo.
Today's cornucopia of clips continues with Johnny Mercer, the rare songwriter who was also an incredible performer.
Here's Johnny, singin' with Bing on The Kraft Music Hall.
And with Nat King Cole, a master musician who Johnny, as Capitol Records executive, signed as a cornerstone for the label.
Singing with Sinatra on The Chairman Of The Board's radio show in 1947.
Where do we end this tribute to Johnny Mercer? With performances and reflections on the songwriter's legacy by guitarist-vocalist John Pizzarelli, who devoted an album to Johnny Mercer tunes.
Who was the man, the Big Kahuna in the field of music for animated cartoons? Well, there were several - Scott Bradley (MGM), Darrell Calker (Walter Lantz Productions/Universal), Leigh Harline at Disney's and the team of Sammy Timberg and Lou Fleischer - but in general, the first name in the "Password" answer is the incomparable Carl W. Stalling (November 10, 1891 - November 29, 1972).
Warner Bros. cartoon-meister elaborates on the greatness of Carl Stalling.
Carl W. Stalling, composer-conductor-arranger extraordinaire with Walt Disney Productions, the Ub Iwerks Studio and Warner Bros. (pre and post Leon Schlesinger), had a way of improving the films' quality wherever he went.
The Skeleton Dance (1929) in particular was innovative and a groundbreaking film by the Disney studio.
Carl Stalling contributed many wonderful scores to the cartoons produced by the studio of ace Disney animator and special effects inventor Ub Iwerks in 1930-1935.
Leon Schlesinger hired Carl to succeed Norman Spencer as the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies music man and the improvement in the cartoons was immediate.
It's a tough call as to which individual Looney Tune or Merrie Melodie features my favorite Carl Stalling soundtrack. In addition to PORKY IN WACKYLAND, PORKY PIG'S FEAT directed by Frank Tashlin and THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY directed by Bob Clampett immediately come to mind.
In addition, note that the new Flip The Frog Blu-ray from Thunderbean is officially available. If you don't have it yet, this set is chock full of excellent Carl Stalling scores and animated goodness from the talented likes of Grim Natwick, Berny Wolf, Al Eugster and Shamus Culhane.
Yesterday's animation matinee at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum's Edison Theatre was the equivalent of old home week for this writer, curator, schlepper of 16mm projectors and animation buff. Don't remember the last time this blogger has seen so many familiar faces from years and years and years doing film and animation presentations in one place. There's Jerry Beck, doing a Q&A after the cartoon-packed program.
Robert Emmett of KFJC's Norman Bates Memorial Soundtrack Show and the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festival and Mike Bonham of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum
Jerry Beck, Paul Mular, Psychotronic Paul and Robert Emmett from the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festival
Kevin Coffey (animator, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Jerry Beck
They were all there: Jerry Beck, Kevin Coffey, Steve Segal, Robert Emmett, champion of George Pal's incredible movie and animation career Arnie Liebovit and Harry McCracken of Scrappyland. Tommy Jose Stathes of Cartoons On Film was there via his video introductions to classic cartoons by Earl Hurd, Walt Disney, Otto Messmer and Fleischer Studios.
Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum presents a classic cartoon matinee.
Author and animation historian Jerry Beck hosts this program, curated by Tommy Jose Stathes of Cartoons On Film.
There will be vintage silent cartoons from Bray, Messmer, Fleischer and Disney.
Topping off the program will be a cartoon that was lost for decades but found and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive: Buzzy Boop At The Concert.
