Two Music Legends of the Sixties Pass On

Two men who contributed to the musical landscape of the Sixties, albeit in very different ways, have passed on. One was the lead vocalist for one of the best known British Invasion bands. The other was a drummer for one of psychedelia's most legendary performers.

Mike Smith, the lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, passed yesterday at the age of 64. The cause was pneumonia. Smith had sustained injuries to spinal cord in 2003 that left him paralysed below his ribs. Sadly, he died just two weeks before the Dave Clark Five were to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Smith was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England on December 3, 1943. From an early age he was drawn to music, learning to play the piano at the age of five. When he was 13 he passed the entrance exam for London's Trinity College of Music. Despite this, Smith's destiny lay with rock 'n' roll rather than classical music. He had first met Dave Clark when they both played for the football team for the St.George Boys Club. When Clark's band lost their lead singer, he asked Smith to join as their new lead vocalist. Smith's first record with the Dave Clark Five was "I Knew It All The Time," released in June 1962. The Dave Clark Five would finally crack the British charts with the song "Do You Love Me," released in October 1963, which peaked at #30 on the UK charts. With the song "Glad All Over," released the following month, they would have their first bona fide hit. The song went to #1 in the United Kingdom and #6 in the United States as well. With a sound that was strong on percussion, the Dave Clark Five rivalled The Beatles in their early days. In addition to singing lead vocals and playing keyboards, Smith also co-wrote many of the Dave Clark Five's biggest hits, including "Glad All Over," "Bits and Pieces," and "Try Too Hard."

Unfortunately by 1967 the Dave Clark Five was no longer hitting the charts as they once had. They broke up in 1970. Smith continued to work with Clark for time after the Dave Clark Five disbanded. Afterwards he worked as a music producer for artists such as Shriley Bassey. He also wrote jingles for such companies as British Airways and Volvo. He eventually formed the band Mike Smith's Rock Engine and toured the United States in 2003.

Mike Smith was arguably one of the best lead singers of any British Invasion band. He had an very good vocal range, and could shout better than almost anyone. His voice was certainly fitting for a band driven by both guitars and a remarkably powerful drumbeat, Even singers of some considerable talent could not have matched Mike Smith when he was the Dave Clark Five.

Buddy Miles, the drummer for Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, died Tuesday at the age of 60 from congestive heart disease.

Miles was born George Allen Miles, Jr. on September 5, 1947 in Omaha, Nebraska. He took to music young, so much so that one of his aunts gave him the nickname "Buddy" after legendary drummer Buddy Rich. At the age of 12 he started playing drums in his father's band, The Be-Bops. While still a teenager Miles played with such big names in the rhythm and blues world as Ruby and the Romantics, The Ink Spots, and Wilson Pickett. Moving to Chicago in 1967, he formed the band Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield (once guitarist for the Butterfield Band). Electric Flag would reach their peak with the album A Long Time Comin' in 1968. Unfortunately, conflicts between Miles and Cooper would pull the band apart before it could have any further success.

Buddy Miles would then form another band, The Buddy Miles Express. He had met Jimi Hendrix when the two of them were still sidemen playing for various rhythm and blues groups. After Hendrix had disbanded the Jimi Hendrix Experience and formed the Band of Gypsys, he naturally invited Miles to join. Following his work with Hendrix, Miles recorded with his own band under the name "Buddy Miles." He would also work with Carlos Santana, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Barry White, and George Clinton.

Miles would serve time in prison on grand theft in the late Seventies and again for auto theft in the early Eighties. Following his time in prison he became the lead vocalist of the Claymation advertising characters, the California Raisins.

Buddy Miles was a remarkable drummer. While his style arguably lacked finesse, Miles made up for it with the sheer power of his drumming. With Miles at the drum kit, drums were not simply a back up instrument--they were the driving force of a song's rhythm. Miles was also a gifted singer, with an expressive, tenor voice. Although he saw only a little success in his musical career, he was certainly a great talent.

David Watkin Passes On

Cinematographer David Watkin, who worked on films ranging from Help! to Catch 22 to Moonstruck, passed on February 19 at the age of 82. The cause was cancer.

David Watkin was born in Margate, Kent on March 23, 1925. Watkin served in the British Army during World War II. Following the war he worked as a camera assistant for the Southern Railway Film Unit. The unit became part of British Transport Films (BTF) in 1950, following which Watkin began his rise from a cameraman to Director of Photography at BTF. Watkin received his first credit as Cinematographer on the film The Long Night Haul in 1956. In 1960 he began working in commercials, It was on the set of one of Watkin's projects that he met director Richard Lester, who had just finished directing A Hard Day's Night. Lester hired him to direct his next film, The Knack ...and How to Get It. He would work with Lester again on the films Help, How I Won the War, The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and Robin and Marian. Over the years Watkin was cinematographer on the 1968 version of The Charge of the Light Brigade, Catch-22, The Devils, To the Devil a Daughter, Moonstruck, Memphis Belle, and the 1990 version of Hamlet. His only work on television was for the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. He won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Out of Africa.

Watkin was not simply a grate cinematographer, he was also an innovator. He was one of the first cinematographers to use a bounce light, lamps which are directed at walls and ceilings to create soft lighting. He also utilised the "Wendy" light (Wendy being his nickname), which featured 200 bulbs mounted on a crane at heights up to 150 feet. Essentially, the "Wendy" light simulates the appearance and shadows of natural lighting.

David Watkin won an Oscar for his work on Out of Africa and many articles have cited his work on Chariots of Fire, but I think his best work was done on other films. Indeed, I think some of his best cinematography came early in his career, in The Knack...and How to Get It and Help! In The Knack...and How to Get It he used high contrast, black and white photography and a freewheeling use of the camera to capture Swinging London perfectly. In Help! he brought the same unimpeded style to colour photography, shooting The Beatles through various filters and from often odd angles. In other films Watkin proved himself a master of light, relying on the natural lighting for his photography on Lester's Three Musketeers, Four Musketeers, and Robin and Marian. Watkin was one of the truly great cinematographers, an innovator willing to experiment who was master when it came to light sources. There are certainly few directors of photography who were ever his match.

Television Writer Richard Baer R.I.P.

Richard Baer, who wrote for such sitcoms as Bewitched and F Troop, passed last Friday at the age of 79. The cause was complications from a heart attack.

Baer was born April 22, 1928 in New York City. He attended Yale where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and the University of Southern California where he earned a master's degree in cinema. Baer's maternal uncle, David Sarnoff (founder of the NBC and the head of RCA for much of its history) got Baer into the television business. Reportedly, he order an NBC vice president at the early hour of six in the morning to find Baer "...a job by 9 o'clock."

Baer broke into television writing episodes for the 1953 sitcom The Life of Riley (the version starring William Bendix). Later in the Fifties he would write episodes for shows such as Life Begins at 17, Leave to Beaver, and Have Gun Will Travel. The Sixties were arguably Baer's heyday as a TV writer. For the dramedy Hennesy, about a Navy doctor, he wrote 34 episodes alone. He also wrote episodes for such series as Bewitched, The Munsters, Petticoat Junction, F Troop, and That Girl. The seventies saw Baer write for shows such as M*A*S*H, Archie Bunker's Place, Turnabout, and Adam's Rib. He also wrote the TV movies Playmates, and Poor Devil. His last work for television was on the sitcom Who's the Boss.

Following his career in television, Baer wrote the play Mixed Emotions. Debuting in Los Angeles, it eventually played on Broadway.

Richard Baer was arguably one of the more talented writers to work on classic sitcoms. Among the episodes he wrote were "Driving is the Only Way to Fly" for Bewitched, in which Samantha tried to learn how to drive, and "Wilton the Kid" for F Troop, in which a vicious killer is the spitting image of Captain Parmenter. Baer had a gift for the sort of comedy that grows out of unusual, even bizarre situations. It is a gift not many television writers seem to have today.

The 80th Annual Academy Awards

Last night was the 80th Annual Academy Awards, better known to one and all as the Oscars. I must say that for once I was pleased with the Oscars. Many of the films and actors I wanted to win did so. There were a few surprises. There was Amy Adams. And this year's ceremony was short as Oscar ceremonies go.

Of course, the big treat for me (well, besides seeing Nicole Kidman and Amy Adams) was watching No Country For Old Men take Best Supporting Actor (for Javier Bardem) Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director (for the fabulous Coen Brothers), and Best Picture. For those of you who read my review of the film, this should come as no surprise. It was easily my favourite film from last year.

In fact, for the most part I have to say I was happy with all the winners this year. This might well be the first Oscars I can say that about! I was very happy to see The Golden Compass win for Best Visual Effects. The movie does have some very dazzling effects, much more so than even Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. I was also happy to see La Vie en Rose win in Best Makeup--it must have taken some work to transform Marion Cotillard (who was another high point of the ceremony...) into Edith Piaf. Of course, much of the reason I was so happy that La Vie en Rose won makeup was the alternative...Did any of us want to see Norbit win an Oscar? I was also very happy that "Falling Slowly" from Once won Best Song. I only recently heard the song for the first time (thanks to Beth and YouTube), but it is utterly lovely.

Of course, that brings me to what may have been the best part of the ceremony (even better than Nicole Kidman and Amy Adams). After Glen Hasard of The Frames gave his acceptance speech for winning Best Song, his co-writer Marketa Irglova stepped up to the microphone to say her piece and was drowned out by conductor Bill Conti and the orchestra. I was at Row Three's live Oscar discussion and the reaction was unanimous--we all thought they should have let her speak. Thankfully, after the commercial break, Jon Stewart escorted the shy Miss Irglova out and she gave what was one of the most touching speeches I've ever heard in an Oscar ceremonies. Indeed, I have to say I admire her very, very much. After being drowned out by the orchestra, I would have been very tempted to have been catty about myself!

Another high point in the ceremony was the Lifetime Achievement Award given to production designer Robert F. Burke. I think they really did this one right. Not only was his award presented by the beautiful Nicole Kidman (she can present awards to me any day....), but they treated the audience to a montage of some of his best work. I must confess, I never realised how great Boyle was until I saw those clips from North by Northwest, The Birds, Fiddler on the Roof, and many other films, all together. And he gave the best acceptance speech of the night. I only hope I am that eloquent when I am 98!

Of course, another high point for me was Amy Adams. I enjoyed her performance of "A Happy Working Song" from Enchanted. And I enjoyed seeing her present the award for Best Score. Actually, I enjoyed seeing Amy Adams, period. I have a feeling she is this year's "It" Girl (the guys over at Row Three apparently agree...).

There were some surprises at last night's Oscars, too. I was certain that the Best Supporting Actress award would go to either Ruby Dee for American Gangster or Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There. I was rather surprised when it went to Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton. While I thought she was great in the role, I didn't think she had a chance. I was also surprised at the Best Actress category. I thought for certain that either Julie Christie for Away from Her or Ellen Page for Juno would win. I was rather surprised when Marion Cotillard won for her role in La Vie en Rose. Again, I didn't think she had a chance.

Over all I am very happy with this year's Oscars. True, many of Jon Stewart's jokes fell flat. True, I could have done without that song from August Rush. But in the end it I must confess that most everyone I wanted to win did so. Not to mention I got to look at Amy Adams....

The Variety of Programming on American Broadcast Television

If there is one complaint I have had about the American broadcast networks is that for much of the history of American television there has not been a whole lot of variety in the types of TV shows we see. In fact, with but few exceptions, it seems to me that from the Seventies to the Nineties most network television shows fell into only a few genres: sitcoms, police dramas, medical dramas, and mysteries. It has only been relatively recently that we have seen anything approaching diversity in the sort of shows we see on the American networks.

It wasn't always this way. I was born in the Sixties. And while my memories of television in that decade is a bit vague as I was so young, I remember enough to know that there were more different types of shows aired in that decade than there would be in following decades. My knowledge of television history confirms this. Consider the year 1966 alone. There were science fiction shows (the classic Star Trek and the not so classic Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, and Time Tunnel). There were Westerns (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and The Virginian, among others). There were adventure shows (Tarzan, The Green Hornet, and others). And the networks still aired variety shows, from the legendary Ed Sullivan Show to the classic Red Skelton Hour. The '66-'67 was the height of the spy boom, and there was no shortage of spy dramas, from British import The Avengers to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. Of course, there were sitcoms, but they were a much more varied lot in the Sixties than they were in any other decade. There were rural comedies like The Andy Griffith Show and The Beverly Hillbillies. There were imaginative sitcoms (comedies with a more fantastic bent) such as Gilligan's Island, The Monkees, and Bewitched. Spoofs and parodies were very much in fashion, as evidenced by Batman, Get Smart, and F Troop. There were family comedies like Please Don't Eat the Daisies and Family Affair. There were even shows that defied classification, such as The Wild Wild West (Is it a spy show? A Western? A sci-fi show?). In the 1966-1967 the broadcast networks (of which there were only three at the time) aired a greater variety of different sorts of shows in prime time. Indeed, I haven't even listed all the genres of shows aired at the time!

Sadly, as the Sixties became the Seventies, American broadcast television would see a decrease in the variety of genres of shows they aired. The spy boom would end, taking with it the many spy dramas of the decade. Variety shows would persist into the Seventies, although most of the variety shows which debuted that decade were short lived. Sitcoms would still vary a bit, ranging from socially relevant shows like All in the Family to dramedies like M*A*S*H to screwball comedies like Three's Company. And there was a cycle towards mysteries during the decade, ranging from Columbo to Cannon. There were also a few family dramas, such as The Waltons. Sadly, in the end it would seem that the Seventies would largely be dominated by medical dramas and police dramas.

The Eighties would fare no better, with even less variety in the sort of shows aired on the networks. The variety show had finally gave up the ghost after dying a slow death in the Seventies. While a few sitcoms off the beaten track, such as Cheers and Night Court, aired during the decade, for the most part the Eighties were dominated by a return of the family comedy, of which The Cosby Show is a prime example. There were a few nighttime soaps (Dallas and Dynasty), but most hour long shows in the decade tended to be either police dramas, medical dramas, or legal dramas.

The Nineties would be even worse than the Eighties. The decade would again be dominated by police dramas, medical dramas, and legal dramas. Indeed, it is the prevalence of legal dramas in the latter part of the Nineties I have always found curious. Usually cycles on American television continue because of the success of a certain type of show. ER was a hit in the Nineties, so naturally other medical dramas followed. N.Y.P.D. Blue was a hit, so naturally there were other police dramas. But the only legal drama in the late Nineties to have any sort of success was Ally McBeal which, quite frankly, wasn't that successful. Now to be honest, there were shows well off the beaten track that did air in the Eighties, but it seems as if they were confined to the younger networks. After all, this was the decade that The X-Files premiered on Fox and Buffy the Vampire Slayer debuted on the WB. Unfortunately, it seems as if the older networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC) were content to air police dramas, medical dramas, and yet more legal dramas.

The early Naughts would be no different, only this time the legal dramas and medical dramas would be replaced by police procedurals, reality shows, and talent competitions. To be honest, police procedurals and talent competitions had not been seen on network television for some time. Unfortunately, the networks went overboard with them in the same way they went overboard with Westerns in the Fifties. The 2002-2003 season would see eleven different police procedurals on the air. I won't even talk about how many reality shows aired in any given season. While many good shows aired in the early Naughts, at the same time the early part of this decade saw the networks airing much the same sorts of shows every night.

Fortunately, it seems as if the past few seasons have seen the American broadcast networks expand with regards to the various genres of shows they air. It is true, many police procedurals are still on the air. It is true, reality shows have not completely left network television (one can only hope one day they do). Ultimately, however, even the older networks are airing more different sorts of shows. Perhaps due to talent shows such as American Idol and the success of Deal or No Deal, the game show has returned to prime time. Similarly, the success of Lost and Heroes has seen the debut of shows that, if not outright science fiction or fantasy, are at least well left of centre. There's the wonderful Pushing Daisies on ABC (easily the best new show of the season), vampire drama Moonlight on CBS, spy dramedy Chuck on NBC, The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox, and Reaper on the CW. In some respects it was Fox and ABC that led the way in broadening the networks' view. Early in the decade Fox had debuted 24 and ABC had debuted Alias, two spy dramas. Later the two networks between them would debut such left of centre shows as Lost, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, and House (the medical drama that isn't a medical drama). The fact that all of these shows were hits probably opened the eyes of NBC and CBS, who realised they would have to change their programming if they were to compete.

Of course, there is no telling how long this current spate of variety in programming on the American broadcast networks will last. The Sixties produced a diverse number of shows in different genres, yet it gave way to the Seventies, which had considerably less variety. It could well be that once shows such as House and Pushing Daisies have run its course, we will simply see more sitcoms, police dramas, medical dramas, and, worst of all, legal dramas. The debut of Eli Stone, a rather standard legal drama that wants to be quirky but isn't, could be a very bad sign of things to come. One can only hope that it isn't and the networks will continue to air a wide variety of different sorts of show. Who knows? Perhaps the variety show will return yet....

An Oscars Quiz

As regular readers of this blog probably already know, Beth of the lovely voice laid down a challenge for me at the first of the year. The challenge was simply this: I must create and post one pop culture quiz a month in A Shroud of Thoughts. The quizzes can have a single theme or simply be a collection of random things. At the end of 2008, the reader who has accumulated the most points throughout the year will win a pop culture related prize. For those of you curious about the prize, I decided that it will be a pop culture related key chain of the winner's choice, to cost no more than $5.00 (minus sales tax). The price limit is for the simple fact that I can't afford platinum plated key chains... Since February is a short month (even during a leap year), I'll provide the answers around March 2.

Since tomorrow is the Academy Awards, I thought that it might be fitting for this month's quiz to centre around the Oscars.

1. What was the first film to win Best Picture?

2. Who gave Oscar its name?

3. Who supervised the design of the Oscar statuette?

4. Who hosted the most Academy Award Ceremonies?

5. What actor, director, or producer received the most Oscar nominations in a lifetime?

6. Did Alfred Hitchcock ever win an Oscar?

7. Who was the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award outside of special awards?

8. In what year were the Oscars first telecast?

9. Name one of the two films nominated in the most categories without winning a single one?

10 Name one of the three films to win the most Oscars?

Eva Dahlbeck Passes On

Before anything else, I have to apologise for not making more posts this week. Sadly, I have had a fairly severe sinus infection that has left me so tired after getting off work I have the strength for little else beyond checking my email and reading the various blogs I read. Fortunately, I am feeling a bit better.

Eva Dahlbeck, best known for her roles in various Ingmar Bergman films, passed on February 8 at the age of 87. Having had Alzheimer’s disease for many years, the cause was an infection.

Dahlbeck was born on March 8, 1920 in Saltsjö-Duvnäs, Sweden. She attended the Dramatens elevskola (in English, the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school) from 1941 to 1944. She was a regular on the Swedish stage from 1944 to 1964. Dahlbeck's debut on film was in an uncredited role in the film Bara en kvinna in 1941. Her first credited role was in Rid i natt (literally, Ride Tonight) in 1942). By the late Forties she was playing major roles in films, such as Kärlek och störtlopp in 1946 and Tva Kvinnor in 1947. Eventually she would star in several of Bergman's films, including Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night 1955), En Lektion i kärlek (Lesson in Love 1954), Kvinnodröm (Dreams 1955), and Kvinnors väntan (Secrets of Women 1962). She also played the Queen in Gabriel Axel's Den Rode kappe (Hagbard and Signe 1967).

In 1964 Dahlbeck retired from the stage. She last appeared on screen in 1970 in Tintomara. She found a new career in writing, writing several novels starting with Hem till kaos (Home to Chaos) in 1964. Her last novel was Sökarljus (Searching Lights), published in 1999. She also wrote the screenplay for Arne Mattsson's period crime movie Yngsjömordet (Woman of Darkness), released in 1966.

Eva Dahlbeck was an immensely talented actress who could play a variety of roles and be very convincing. She played everything from a celebrity reporter in Kärlek och störtlopp to actress and mistress to a count Desiree Armfeldt. Her versatility gave her a justifiably long acting career. The fact that she was able to follow up her acting career with a successful writing career is even more cause to admire Eva Dahlbeck. She was certainly a woman of a good deal of talent.