It's Too Soon for Summer

For much of this week it has been in the upper eighties, near ninety, with high humidity. This is why I haven't made much in the way of posts this week. I am hot and miserable and I really don't feel like doing much of anything. To make matter worse, this is unusual for May, when our highs are usually in the seventies with relatively low humidity. Fortunately, next week we will have less tropical temperatures. For now I will leave you with The Who's cover of Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues."

Denise Alexander Passes On

Denise Alexander, who appeared for years on the soap operas Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, and guest starred on many TV shows in the Sixties and Seventies, died on March 5 2025 at the age of 85.

Denise Alexander was born on November 11 1939 in New York City. Her father was a talent agent whose clients would include Frank Gorshin and Sal Mineo. Denise Alexander began acting on radio shows when she was only six years old. She was a regular on the show The Marriage. She also appeared on such radio shows as The Big Guy, Cavalcade of America, Dimension X. and It's Higgins Sir. She ultimately appeared on more than 2500 radio shows. She made her television debut in 1949 on Kraft Music Hall. That same year she appeared on Ford Television Theatre.

In the early Fifties she appeared on Broadway in The Children's Hour. On television in the Fifties she was a regular on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and late in the decade on the daytime soap opera The Clear Horizon. She guest starred on the shows Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Web, The Philco Television Playhouse, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Mama, Kraft Television Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Climax!, Father Knows Best, The Life of Riley, The Walter Winchell File, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, The Danny Thomas Show, The Ann Sothern Show, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Twilight Zone, The Loretta Young Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Blue Angels, and The Detectives. She appeared in the movies Crime in the Streets (1956) and Teenage Conflict (1960).

In the Sixties she continued as a regular on The Clear Horizon and the short-lived Ben Jerrod..  She became a regular on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives in 1966. She guest starred on The Detectives, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Angel, Sea Hunt, Ben Casey, Stoney Burke, The Virginian, Combat!, General Hospital, and This is the Life. She appeared in the movie That Funny Feeling (1965).

In the Seventies Denise Alexander continued to appear on Days of Our Lives until 1973. It was in 1973 that she began her long run on General Hospital. In the Seventies she also guest starred on The ABC Afternoon Playbreak. In the Eighties she became a regular on the daytime soap opera Another World. She guest starred on the TV show Hotel. In the Nineties she became a regular on the daytime soap opera Sunset Beach. She returned to General Hospital in a recurring role. he guest starred on the soap opera Port Charles. In the Teens she was a regular on the short-lived shows The Inn and Pretty the Series.

While I am unfamiliar with Denise Alexander's work in soap operas, which admittedly made up most of her career, I know from her guest appearances on prime time shows she was a good actress. On The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, she played Ginny Metzger, a girlfriend determined to turn Dobie into a success by taking a baby sitting job. In the Combat! episode "No Time for Pity," she played the librarian of a town where German paratroopers have set up an observation post. In the Ben Casey episode "A Memory of Candy Stripes," she played a candy striper who is getting too attached to a patient. Denise Alexander was a wonderful actress who gave many good performances.

Seventy Years Ago the Muppets Made Their Television Debut

Jim Henson with Kermit, Sam, and others

Seventy years ago today, on May 9 1955, a local television show called Sam and Friends debuted on Washington, DC's NBC station WRC-TV. If it had been any of a number of other local television programs, this might not be particularly significant, but Sam and Friends was created by Jim Henson and his future wife Jane Nebel and introduced the world to what would become known as Muppets. Indeed, among the puppet characters was a lizard-like one called Kermit, who would become Kermit the Frog.

Sam and Friends was a live-action, puppet show, but like Jim Henson's future projects, it was made for adults rather than children. In fact, it aired as a lead-in to The Tonight Show on WRC-TV. The series centred on Sam (played by Jim Henson) , a human puppet with big ears and an active imagination. Sam had a number of imaginary friends who represented various parts of his psyche, including Kermit (played by Jim Henson), the beatnik Harry the Hpster (played by Jim Henson), the rock-like Yorick (played by Jim Henson), Professor Madlcliffe (played by Jim Henson), and yet others. Other puppeteers on the show beyond Jim Henson included Jane Nebel, Jerry Juhl, and Bob Payne. The puppets would take part in various sketches and lip-sync to various songs.

Sam and Friends would air in various time slots throughout its run, and at one point aired before NBC's news program at the time, The Huntley–Brinkley Report. It last aired on December 15 1961. Unfortunately, very little survives of Sam and Friends. The show was produced on a low budget and as a result it was not preserved on kinescope or videotape. Out of the clips that have survived, almost none of them feature Sam, despite the fact that he was the main character.

It was while Sam and Friends was still on the air that Jim Henson and Jane Nebel founded Muppets, Inc., which would later be named the Jim Henson Company. It was also while Sam and Friends as still on the air that the Muppets began to get national exposure. Kermit appeared on The Steve Allen Show in 1956 In 1958 the Muppets appeared on Tonight Starring Jack Paar. The Sixties, after Sam and Friends ended, would see the Muppets appear frequently on The Ed Sullivan Show. The decade would also see Rowlf as a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show and several Muppets, including Kermit, become regulars on Sesame Street.

Of course, all of it began with Sam and Friends. Indeed, in the few remaining episodes of the show one can easily see the origins of The Muppet Show, from the pop culture parodies to the use of popular music. While it may not have been seen beyond the Washington, DC area, it would certainly have a lasting impact.

"Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Bob Dylan

Sixty years ago today a clip for Bob Dylan's song "Subterranean Homesick Blues"was filmed in an alley near the Savoy Hotel in London. The clip consists of Bob Dylan flipping cue cards as the song plays, while  Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth are occasionally seen in the background. The cue cards were written by Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and Bob Neuwirth. Although the clip is often referred to as a promotional film or promotional clip, it was actually filmed as the opening of the documentary Don't Look Back, directed by D. A. Pennebaker. It covered Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England.

Two alternate clips for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" were also filmed. One was shot in Embankment Gardens near the Savoy. In addition to Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, and Bob Neuwirth, Bob Dylan's producer Tom Wilson also appeared in that clip. Another clip was shot a building that has yet to be identified. Martin Scosese included a montage of all three clips in his 2005 documentary No Direction Home.

The clip for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" from Don't Look Back was one of the earliest conceptual music films and would prove influential on music videos to come.

Without further ado, here is the promo clip for "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

How to Disable Tab Groups on Firefox

Chances are good that if you use Firefox, you now known that it has tab groups. For those of you who don't know what tab groups are, they are a browser feature that allows users to organize tabs into groups. In theory, at least this makes it easier to keep track of manage tabs. Chrome had had tab groups for about five years now, and other browsers have had them for a few years as well. As to Firefox, according to Mozilla, it was the most requested idea on Mozilla Connect.

Of course, while some people find tab groups a convenient way to organize and manage tabs, others of us don't.This can be a particularly problem for those of us who sometimes like to move tabs around, as Firefox will automatically assume that we want to create a tab group. Fortunately, Firefox has a means of disabling tab groups, unlike some other browsers (*cough* Chrome for Android *cough*).

If you are one of the many Firefox users who dislike and you want to disable them, simply type about:config in the address bar. You'll then want to click the button that reads "Accept the Risk and Continue." You'll then search for " browser.tabs.groups" and mark all of them "false."

This should disable tab groups, although some have found them re-enabled if they close and then re-open their browser. In my case this was caused by a study related to tab groups. I fixed it by simply going into setting and unchecking "Install and run studies," although you could also type about:studies in the address bar and disable any studies related to tab groups.

With regards to tab groups on Firefox, I have two recommendations for Mozilla. The first is that they should have a place in Settings (I figure "Brower Layout" might b a good place) where one can disable tab groups. This would be more obvious and thus easier than disabling tab groups in about:config would be. The second is that they should always allow users to disable tab groups and never force them upon users. Tab groups may be the most requested feature in Mozilla Central, but there are also a number of us who absolutely hate them.

The Rocketeer (1991)

(This post is part of the Adventure-a-Thon hosted by Cinematic Catharsis and Realweedgiemidget Reviews)

Today superhero films are a dime a dozen, but there was a time when they were much less common. The phenomenal success of  Batman in 1989 would spur the production of more superhero movies, but even then they were less common than they are today. One of those superhero movies produced in the wake of Batman (1989) was The Rocketeer (1991). What further set The Rocketeer (1991) apart from other movies made in the Nineties was that it was also a period piece set in the 1930s.

The Rocketeer centred on Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), a stunt pilot who stumbles upon a prototype rocket pack developed by Howard Hughes that had been stolen by Eddie Valentine's (Paul Sorvino) gang. Unfortunately, others want the jet pack and ultimately Cliff, his girlfriend Jenny (Jennifer Connelly), and his mechanic Peevy (Alan Arkin) find themselves tangled up not only with gangsters and Howard Hughes but Nazis as well. Cliff must then use the rocket pack

The Rocketeer was based on the comic book character of the same name, created by artist Dave Stevens. The character came about when Dave Stevens was Steve and Bill Schanes of independent publisher Pacific Comics asked him to come up with a backup feature for Starslayer, the comic book series created by Mike Grell. Dave Stevens drew upon the Republic serials King of the Rocket Men (1949), Radar Men from the Moon (1952), and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953) to create The Rocketeer. Further inspiration came from pulp heroes such as Doc Savage and The Shadow. As in the movie, The Rocketeer was stunt pilot Cliff Secord, who stumbles upon an experimental jet pack.

The Rocketeer first appeared in a back-up story in Starslayer no. 2 April (1982). After Pacific Comics folded in 1984, The Rocketeer would be published by Eclipse and Comico, and still later Dark Horse and, following Dave Stevens's death,  IDW Publishing. For a feature published by independent comics publishers, The Rocketeer proved to be fairly successful.

It was this success that would lead to a film adaptation. It was in 1983 that Steve Milner, who had directed Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), bought the film rights to The Rocketeer. No Rocketeer movie came from Steve Milner as he strayed too far from Dave Stevens's original concept and ultimately his option on The Rocketeer expired. It was in 1985 that Dave Stevens gave writers Danny Bloom and Paul De Meo the option to do a Rocketeer movie, The two writers were much more in sync with Dave Stevens's ideas about The Rocketeer, and the three shared a love of the movie serials of old.

Initially, they meant for The Rocketeer to be a low-budget homage to movie serials of old, even shot in black-and-white. This idea was dropped not long after they asked William Dear to direct and co-write The Rocketeer. For the most part, they stayed faithful to the plot of the original comic books, although the movie would be largely set in Hollywood. One major change was in Cliff's girlfriend. In the comics her name was Betty and she was a nude model. Her appearance was clearly inspired by Bettie Page. Wishing to avoid comparisons to Bettie Page, they changed the character's name to Jenny and made her an aspiring movie actress. Another change was made as to who had designed the rocket pack. In the original comics, it was strongly hinted that the designer was Doc Savage. For copyright reasons, in the movie, the designer is Howard Hughes. One more change is that in the earliest comics, a submarine played a major role. In the movie, it would be a Zeppelin instead.

It was in 1986 that Dave Stevens, Danny Bloom, Paul De Meo, and William Dear began pitching The Rocketeer to various studios. This being before the release of Batman (1989), a time when comic book movies, were not in fashion, they were met with several rejections. Eventually, the Walt Disney Company picked up the property. Initially, the play was to release the film through Touchstone Pictures, Disney's arm for producing more adult movies than the typical Walt Disney product. It was then Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg who moved The Rocketeer over to Walt Disney Pictures. According to Dave Stevens, the studio saw "hey really tried to shoehorn it into a kiddie property so they could sell toys. All they really wanted at the end of the day, was the name"

It would take some time before The Rocketeer would make it to the screen Danny Bloom and Paul De Meo submitted a seven-page treatment, although the script would be rewritten repeatedly. The studio fired the two writers on three different occasions. Because of the many delays, William Dear had to drop out as the film's prospective director. Fortunately, Joe Johnston, who was a fan of the comic books, offered to be the movie's director. He had directed the Disney film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). It was after Joe Johnston was signed as the director and Danny Bloom and Paul De Meo would go through a third rewrite of the screenplay that Disney finally gave The Rocketeer the go-ahead.

The Rocketeer's troubles would not end there. Casting the all-important role of Cliff Secord/The Rocketeer proved difficult. Johnny Depp was Disney's favourite for the role, but he turned it down. Vincent D'Onofrio also refused the role. Kevin Costner and Matthew Modine were both considered for the role, but they proved to be unavailable. Actors as diverse as Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, and Emilio Estevez all auditioned for the role. Bill Paxton apparently came very close to getting the role. Dave Stevens and Joe Johnston were both happy with actor Billy Campbell, who at the time may have been best known for playing Detective Joey Indelli on the TV show Crime Story, but Disney was wanting an A-lister. It was Joe Johnston who convinced Disney to finally cast Billy Campbell as Cliff.

Several different actresses were also considered for the role of Jenny. , Sherilyn Fenn, Kelly Preston, Diane Lane, and Elizabeth McGovern were all considered. Ultimately, Jennifer Connelly, then as now known for Labyrinth (1986), was cast in the role. Dave Stevens had wanted Lloyd Bridges to play Cliff's mechanic and friend Peevy, but he turned the role down. Nonetheless, he would be played by a legend, as Alan Arkin was cast in the role. The role of gangster Eddie Valentine had been written for Joe Pesci, but he turned down the part and it went to Paul Sorvino. The all-important role of the Errol Flynn-like movie star Neville Sinclair was offered to both Jeremy Irons and Charles Dance, who declined the role. The role would ultimately go to Timothy Dalton, fresh from his stint as James Bond.

According to Dave Stevens, for the most part, production designer Jim Bissell utilized his own reference library he had used for the comics in the designs for the movie. As shocking as it might seem now, Walt Disney Pictures wanted to change The Rocketeer's helmet from the comic books. Michael Eisner, then president of Disney, wanted something closer to a NASA astronaut's helmet. This did not set well with director Joe Johnston, who told the studio that if they changed the helmet it would no longer be The Rocketeer and he would no longer be interested in directing it. The studio backed off and tried creating their own prototype helmets, none of which were satisfactory. It was ultimately Dave Stevens and a sculptor who came up with the helmet design used for the movie, one that looked like the one from the comic books.

Filming on The Rocketeer would not always go smoothly. It ultimately went over schedule by fifty days, due to "weather and mechanical problems" according to executive producer Larry Franco. The movie would see its budget increase as time passed. Walt Disney Pictures was pleased with the dailies, and so the film's budget went from $25 million to $35 million.

The Rocketeer premiered on June 19 1991 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. It went into wide release on June 21 1991. For the most part, it received mixed to positive reviews at the time. Perhaps the best review came from Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, who wrote, "The Rocketeer is more than one of the best films of the summer; it's the kind of movie magic that we don't see much anymore—the kind that charms us, rather than bullying us, into suspending disbelief." Unfortunately, audiences at the time were not in agreement with critics. It ultimately grossed only $46.6 million in the United States, making it a disappointment at the box office. To make matters worse, it also bombed in the United Kingdom.

The Rocketeer was released on VHS on February 5 1992. It was released on DVD on August 17 1999. It aired on the Disney Channel in 1993, and it made its broadcast network television debut on ABC in 1994. After years of being on television and home video, The Rocketeer would develop a cult following. This would eventually lead to a children's animated TV series that aired on Disney Junior from 2019 to 2020. The series followed  Cliff's great-granddaughter who became the new Rocketeer. Billy Campbell provided the voice of the father of the new Rocketeer. While the series was well-received by critics, it ultimately lasted only one season. Ever since the release of The Rocketeer in 1991, there have been calls for a sequel, and since the Teens remakes and reboots have been announced.

I grew up reading reprints of old Doc Savage and Shadow pulp novels, listening to old radio shows on cassette tape, and watching old movie serials on television. I was quite naturally a fan of Dave Stevens's The Rocketeer comic books. Because the film does such a great job of capturing the feel of the comics, I am also a huge fan of it. Of course, one does not have to be familiar with the comic books or even old movie serials to love The Rocketeer. It is quite simply a fun adventure movie. There is a wide range of excitement to be found in the movie, from both The Rocketeer and aeroplanes racing across the sky to gun battles to old-fashioned swashbuckling. In many ways The Rocketeer is not simply a superhero movie, but also a love letter to the media of the Thirties, drawing upon pulp novels, radio shows, movie serials, and swashbuckler movies.

Today The Rocketeer may be more popular than it was upon its initial release. It certainly has a loyal following. And while it failed at the box office, along with other comic strip movies released in the wake of Batman (1989), such as Dick Tracy (1990) and The Crow (1994), it would lead to the superhero boom that began in the Naughts. Indeed, it would have a direct impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), a movie also rooted in the media of the past. The Rocketeer may have underperformed at the box office in 1991, but it has proven to be a lasting success.

(Here I want to acknowledge the debut I owe to the coverage of The Rocketeer in Cinefantastique vol. 22 no. 1 (August 1991) and Jon B. Cooke's interview with Dave Stevens at TwoMorrows.)

The Late Great Ruth Buzzi

Ruth Buzzi, the actress and comedian perhaps best known for her work on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, died yesterday, May 1 2025, at the age of 88. The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Ruth Ann Buzzi was born on July 24 1936 in Westerly, Rhode Island. She grew up in Stonington, Connecticut. She was 18 when she moved from the East Coast to the West Coast to attend the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts. Her classmates included the late Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. She appeared in a San Francisco production of Jenny Kissed Me with Rudy Vallee and later the Broadway revue Misguided Tour. In 1961 in Pennsylvania, she played Agnes Gooch in a production of Auntie Mame. It was her portrayal of Agnes in the play that would lead Ruth Buzzi to create her character Gladys Ormphby, made famous by appearances on Laugh-In.

In the Sixties she was the voice of Granny Goodwitch on the Saturday morning cartoon Linus the Lionhearted. She was part of the cast of the television special Laugh-In that aired on September 9 1967. The special proved successful enough that it led to the TV series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, which debuted on January 22 1968. Ruth Buzzi remained on the show for its entire run. In many sketches she played Gladys Ormphby opposite Tyrone F. Horneigh, played by Arte Johnson. She was a regular on both The Entertainers and The Steve Allen Comedy Hour (the latter of which led to her being cast on Laugh-In). For one season she played a recurring character on That Girl. She also guest starred on the talk shows and variety shows The Garry Moore Show, The Steve Allen Show., The John Davidson Show, The Leslie Uggams Show, Life with Linkletter, The Bob Hope Show, The Glen Campbell Gootime Hour, and This is Your Life. She also guest starred on the scripted shows The Monkees, That's Life, In Name Only,. and The Wonderful World of Disney. She was the singing voice of Frou-Frou in the Disney animated feature film The AristoCats. She appeared in Broadway as part of the original cast of Sweet Charity.

In the Seventies Ruth Buzzi continued to appear on Laugh-In. She was the only cast member to appear in the entire run of the show besides Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, and Gary Owens. She voiced Gladys and Arte Johnson voiced Tyrone on the Saturday morning cartoon Baggy Pants & the Nitwits later in the decade. She also starred on the Saturday morning, live-action sitcom The Lost Saucer opposite Jim Nabors. She played various roles on Whatever Turns You On and provided additional voices on The Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show.  She guest starred on The Dean Martin Show, Night Gallery; Here's Lucy; Love, American Style; Losta Luck!; ABC Afternoon Specials; Emergency!; Medical Center; You Can't Do That on Television;  and CHiPs. She appeared in the movies Freaky Friday (1976), Record City (1977), The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979), The Villain (1979), and Skatetown USA (1979). She provided for the animated feature films The Rescuers (1977) and I Go Pogo (1980).

In the Eighties she provided voices for the animated TV shows Alvin & the Chipmunks, Paw Paws, The Berenstain Bears, and Pound Puppies. She guest starred on the shows Alice; Aloha Paradise; Trapper John, M.D.; Gun Shy; Days of Our Lives; Masquerade; George Burns Comedy Week; Down to Earth; Check It Out; Life with Lucy; The Love Boat; Kids Incorporated; Saved by the Bell; and The Munsters Today. She appeared in the movies The Being (1981), Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981), Surf II (1983), Bad Guys (1986), Dixie Lanes (1988), Up Your Alley (1989), My Mom's a Werewolf (1989), Wishful Thinking (1990), and Diggin' Up Business (1990).

In 1993 Ruth Buzzi began appearing on Sesame Street as Ruthie the shopkeeper. She was a regular voice on the animated series Cro, The Pink Panther, and The Savage Dragon. She provided additional voices on the animated show The Addams Family. She guest starred on the shows They Came from Outer Space, The New Adam-12, Out of This World, Lucky Luke, Major Dad, The Jamie Foxx Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Diagnosis Murder, and 7th Heaven. She appeared in the movies Botte di Natale (1994), The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999), and Nothing But the Truth (2000).

In the Naughts she continued to appear on Sesame Street. She guest starred on the shows Passions and Come on Over. She appeared in the movie Fallen Angels (2006). She would later appear in the movies Glenn's Gotta Go (2020) and One Month Out (2021).

Ruth Buzzi was very funny woman who possessed an incredible amount of talent. On Laugh-In alone she played a wide array of character. In addition to the frumpy, old lady Gladys, she also played silent film star Laverne Blossom, gossip columnist Busy Buzzi, the overly friendly prostitute Kim Hither, and drunkard Doris Swizzle (the wife of drunkard Leonard Swizzle, played by Dick Martin). As much of an impact as she had on the show, Ruth Buzzi's career went much further than Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. In The Monkees episode "A Coffin Too Frequent"she played  the wealthy, elderly Mrs. Weatherspoon. On That Girl she played Pete Peterson, a friend of main character Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas) who was also trying to break into show business. Over the years she was a voice on many animated series, both as a regular and as a guest. On Linus the Lionhearted she voiced the occasional opponent of Sugar Bear, Granny Goodwitch. She was Mama Bear on The Bearenstain Bears. Ruth Buzzi brought joy to her many fans, playing a wide variety of roles throughout her careers. She will not be forgotten.