Godspeed Melanie

Singer/songwriter Melanie Safka, best known simply by her first name "Melanie," died on January 23 2024 at the age of 76. She was best known for such songs as "Brand New Key," "What Have They Done to My Song Ma," and her cover of The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday.

Melanie was born on February 3 1947 in Queens in New York City. She was only four years old when she sang on the radio show Live Like a Millionaire. Her family moved to Long Branch, New Jersey, she attended Long Branch High School. After running away to California, she returned to New Jersey where she attended Red Bank High School in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Before she even graduated high school she performed at The Inkwell, a coffee house in Long Branch. After graduating from high school she studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She started performing at folk music clubs in Greenwich Village in New York City. She signed with Columbia Records and released two singles on the label, "Beautiful People" in 1967 and "Garden City" in 1968. Neither charted. She then signed with Buddah Records. Her first several singles on the label would not chart in the United States, although "Bo Bo's Party" went to no. 33 on the Belgian singles chart. Her first album, Born to Be, was released in November 1968.

In 1969 she performed at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. The experience inspired her song "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which turned out to be her first hit. It reached no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. She followed "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" with "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)," which reached no. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her biggest hit, "Brand New Key," was released in October 1971. It hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian singles chart. It went to no. 4 in the United Kingdom. It was also in 1971 that she left Buddah Records, and formed her own label, Neighbourhood Records.

Melanie would only have two more singles reach the Billboard Hot 100, "Ring the Living Bell," which reached no. 31 on the Hot 100 in 1972, and "Bitter Bad," which peaked at no. 36 on the Hot 100 in 1973. While Melanie no longer hit the charts, she maintained a loyal following and continued to record and perform for the rest of her life. In all she released over thirty studio albums. Prior to her death she had been in the studio recording cover songs for what would be her 32nd album.

Melanie was certainly a pioneer for independent recording artists, having founded her own label in 1971. And while she was not often recognized for her contributions to music in the early Seventies, she would have an impact on future recording artists. Her voice was surely unique, blending the delicacy of Joan Baez with the sheer power of Janis Joplin. Melanie also defied genre. Her biggest hit, "Brand New Key," evoked Tin Pan Alley in the Thirties. "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was more straight-forward folk rock. Her music explored the human condition, from lost love to being weary of the world. And her songs, even when they were on serious subjects, often had a sense of humour. Melanie was certainly in a class all her own.

Black History Month 2024 on Turner Classic Movies

Harry Belafonte in Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

February is Black History Month, so Turner Classic Movies has a marathon of Black themed movies from February 2 through February 4 2024. It starts on February 2 at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central with The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974). In my humble opinion, you should try to watch as many of these movies as possible, but given many of us don't have that much time to spare, here are my choices of what to watch during the marathon. All times are Central.

Friday, February 2:
7:00 PM The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)

Saturday, February 3:
5:15 AM Paul Robeson: Portrait of an Artist (1979)
6:00 AM The Emperor Jones (1933)
9:00 AM Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking (2021)
10:30 AM Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
2:30 PM A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
5:00 PM In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Sunday, February 4:
1:45 AM The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
3:15 AM Greased Lightning (1977)
7:00 AM Gordon Parks: Moments without Proper Names (1988)
8:00 AM The Learning Tree (1969)
1:00 PM Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
3:00 PM Sounder (1972)
7:00 PM Bird (1988)

How Did The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour Survive the Rural Purge?

The 1970-1971 American television season will always be remembered as the season of the Rural Purge. The Rural Purge was a mass cancellation of shows whose audiences were considered too rural, too old, or both. All three networks cancelled shows that appealed to rural or older audiences, but by far CBS cancelled the most. In fact, two of the shows they cancelled (Mayberry R.F.D. and Hee Haw) still number among the highest rated shows ever cancelled. Among the shows that would have seemed to have appealed to rural audiences that somehow survived was The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. In fact, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour was lower rated than some of the rural shows that CBS did cancel. It only came in at no. 35 in  the Nielsen ratings for the year. The question is then, "How did The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour survive the Rural Purge when higher rated shows did not?"

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour was essentially a spin-off of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The Summer Brothers Smothers Show was a summer replacement series for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that aired during the summer of 1968. It was hosted by rising pop country star Glen Campbell, whose hits "Witchita Lineman" and "Galveston" had a great deal of crossover appeal. Both songs had hit the Billboard Hot 100 ("Witchita Lineman" making it all the way to no. 3 on the chart). The Summer Brothers Smothers Show proved successful enough that Glen Campbell was given his own variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, which debuted on January 29 1969. The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour proved successful in its first two seasons. It ranked no. 15 in its first season and no. 20 in its second season. For its third season, the 1970-1971 season, its ratings dropped. As mentioned above, it only came in at no. 35 for the season.

Of course, it was during the 1970-1971 season that the Rural Purge took place. The Rural Purge largely emerged from two events. The first was the institution of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation known as the Prime Time Access Rule, which would take effect starting with the 1971-1972 season. The rule came about because the FCC thought that the American broadcast networks controlled too much programming on television and was meant to increase competition on local TV stations. Among other things, the Prime Time Access Rule decreased how much the networks could program each night. As a result, the networks had to cancel many more shows than they ever had before.

The second event was a change in programming strategy on the part of CBS. Since the 1950s ABC had sought viewers in the key demographic of 18-49 years old. Starting in the early Sixties, NBC also started seeking viewers in the key demographic of 18-49 years old. Throughout the Sixties, CBS had continued to focus on the over-all number of viewers of any given show. It was in 1969 that Robert Wood became the new president of CBS. It was Robert Wood and his Vice President in Charge of Programming, Fred Silverman, who shifted CBS's programming strategy from capturing the largest total audience to capturing viewers who were between 18 and 49 and living in urban areas. For the 1970-1971 season CBS then decided to cancel shows not based on how many viewers were watching those shows, but who was watching those shows. As a result, shows that appealed to rural viewers, older viewers, or both were cancelled. Long-running and sometimes even high-rated shows were cancelled, including The Beverly Hillbillies, The Ed Sullivan Show, Green Acres, Hee Haw, Lassie, and Mayberry R.F.D.

Curiously, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour was not among the shows that was cancelled. On the surface, at least, it would seem that The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour would largely appeal to a rural audience. After all, its host was a country music star and the show had featured its share of country singers as guests, including Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Waylon Jennings, Buck Owens, and Mel Tillis. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the Nielsen ratings for The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour for the 1970-1971 season, let alone a breakdown of its demographics during the season. That having been said, it seems possible that The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour appealed to a younger and less rural audience than Hee Haw or Mayberry R.F.D.

That this could have been possible is borne out by an article on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour in the October 10 1970 issue of Billboard. The article states, "The Campbell audience is broad. They range from young adults to middle-aged and older." If The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour did appeal to younger viewers, much of it might have been due to the musical guests on the show. While Hee Haw exclusively featured country music singers as guests, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour featured rock and pop artists who would appeal to younger viewers. During its first season alone Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Vogues, Nancy Sinatra, The Righteous Brothers, and The Association appeared on the show. In addition to these musical guests, The Glen Campbell Hour also featured the promotional films for The Beatles' songs "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down." Among the guests on the third season of The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (the 1970-1971 season) were The 5th Dimension, The Osmonds, The Supremes, Jackie DeShannon, Sunday's Child, Sonny & Cher, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It is possible that in featuring rock and pop artists, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour may have appealed to a younger, more urban audience than other shows with rural appeal.

Of course, some might point out that The Johnny Cash Show, which also featured rock and pop artists, was cancelled during the 1970-1971 season by ABC. Indeed, if anything, The Johnny Cash Show featured bigger rock and pop artists than The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Among the guests on The Johnny Cash Show throughout its run were The Cowsills, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, The Guess Who, Lulu, Joni Mitchell, Linda Rondstandt, Dusty Springfield, and others. It can also be pointed out that The Ed Sullivan Show also featured rock and pop acts clear into its final season, and yet it was among the first victims of the Rural Purge. While the rock and pop acts on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour probably helped the show get a younger audience than other shows with rural appeal (or other variety shows, for that matter), it may not have been the only reason its audience may have been slightly younger.

Indeed, much of the reason for the survival of The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour may have been its star. Glen Campbell was a country music star, but he was one with a good deal of crossover appeal. In 1967 his single "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" peaked at no. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. As mentioned earlier, "Wichita Lineman" hit no. 3 on the chart. "Galveston" went to no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. What is more, Glen Campbell had several other singles that would reach the top forty of the Billboard Hot 100 in the years 1967 to 1970.  Much of the reason Glen Campbell's appeal went beyond country music listeners is that he was not a traditional country music singer. His music has often been described as "pop country," and even counted as "easy listening."

Beyond Glen Campbell and the music guests on his show, another reason The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour may have appealed to a young audience is the show's comedy sketches. Among the writers on the show were ones who had written for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, including Cecil Tuck, Steve Martin, and Rob Reiner. While the humour on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour tended to be apolitical, unlike The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, it may well have appealed to a younger crowd than the comedy routines on other variety shows, much less the countryfied humour on Hee Haw or Mayberry R.F.D.

Regardless, while The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour survived the Rural Purge, it lasted only one more season. For its fourth season CBS moved The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour from Sunday night to Tuesday night. While the show came in at no. 37 for the season, it was ultimately cancelled. Although sometimes counted as a victim of the Rural Purge, it was cancelled well after the Rural Purge had unfolded during the 1970-1971 season. While it is possible that the The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour had lost whatever young people in its audience it had, it also seems possible that the cancellation was due to the fact that Glen Campbell was no longer the hot commodity in 1972 that he had been in 1969. While the show was on the air, his last single to hit the Billboard Hot 100 was a cover of Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" in 1971, which only went to no. 81 on the chart. This, coupled with a new time slot, may have resulted in its slight drop in the ratings for its fourth season. The lone survivor of the Rural Purge at CBS, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, aired its last episode on June 13 1972.

The Late Great Laurie Johnson

Composer Laurie Johnson, who wrote the theme for the TV show The Avengers starting with its fourth series, and scored the movie Dr. Strangelove (1964), died January 16 2024 at the age of 96.

Laurence Johnson was born on February 7 1927 in Hampstead. He studied at the Royal College of Music. He served for four years in the British Army in the Coldstream Guards, in which he played French horn. The first movie he scored was The Moonraker (1958). In the late Fifties he also scored the movies Girls at Sea (1958), No Trees in the Street (1959), Tiger Bay (1959), Operation Bullshine (1959), and Werner Von Braun (1960). He also composed music for the TV series No Hiding Place. In 1960 he began recording music for the KPM Music Library, much of which would still be used years later on such shows as Ren and Stimpy and SpongeBob SquarePants. Some of the music he composed for the library would also be released as albums, including The New Big Sound of the Laurie Johnson Orchestra (1963), The Big New Sound Strikes Again (1965), and the Two Cities Suite (1966).

In the Sixties Laurie Johnson composed the theme for the TV series The Avengers starting with its fourth series (the first featuring Diana Rigg). It would be used all subsequent series of The Avengers, as well as the sequel show The New Avengers. He composed the theme for the British version of This is Your Life ("Gala Performance"). On television he also composed music for the show Top Secret and an episode of ITV Play of the Week. He scored the movies Spare the Rod (1961), What a Whopper (1961), Siege of the Saxons (1963), Bitter Harvest (1963), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), The Beauty Jungle (1964), First Men in the Moon (1964), East of Sudan (1964), You Must Be Joking! (1965), Hot Millions (1968), and And Soon the Darkness (1970).

In the Seventies he composed music for the shows Shirley's World, Jason King, The Wide World of Mystery, Thriller, The New Avengers, and The Professionals. He composed music for the movies The Firechasers (1971), The Belstone Fox (1973), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974), Diagnosis: Murder (1974), The Maids (1975), It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1976), and Tvingad att leva (1980). In the Eighties he composed music for It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). He also composed music for the TV movies A Hazard of Hearts and A Ghost in Monte Carlo. In the Nineties he composed music for the TV movie Duel of Hearts.

Laurie Johnson also composed music for the theatre, including the productions Lock Up Your Daughters (1959), Pieces of Eight (1959), and The Four Musketeers (1967). He also composed a good deal of orchestral and band music, much of which would be re-issued over the years.

Laurie Johnson was one of the most prominent English composers and bandleaders of the latter half of the 20th Century. His theme for Top Secret even reached the British record charts. The theme to The Avengers remains one of the greatest themes to a television show ever composed. And Laurie Johnson was nothing if not prolific. For The Avengers alone he composed around 50 hours of music. To this day his music can be heard on everything from Mr. Robot to Antique Road Trip. Few composers ever saw the success Laurie Johnson did.

The Late Great Charles Osgood

Charles Osgood, the long-time host of CBS Sunday Morning on television and The Osgood File on radio, died on January 23 2024 at the age of 91. The cause was complications from dementia.

Charles Osgood was born Charles Osgood Wood III in the Bronx in New York City. He attended Fordham University. While there he volunteered at the college FM radio station, WFUV. Among his fellow students were Alan Alda and Jack Haley, Jr. After graduating from Fordham, he worked as an announcer at WGMS (AM) and WGMS-FM in Washington, DC. It was in 1954 that he met the announcer for the United States Army Band, who told him that he was getting out soon. Knowing that he would soon be drafted, Mr. Osgood then enlisted in the United States Army and then spent the next few years as the announcer for the United States Army Band. He was based out of Fort Myer in Virginia and would fill in as an announcer at WGMS when he went to Washington. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack, it was Charles Osgood who hosted a closed-circuit radio broadcast to President Eisenhower's hospital room.

It was while he was in the United States Army that he and his roommate, John Cacavas (who would later compose scores for television shows and movies), collaborated on various songs. Their composition "The Gallant Men" featured Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois reading a patriotic poem by H. Paul Jeffers. It reached no. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would later be used in the movie Easy Rider (1969).

After his service Charles Osgood returned to WGMS, as a full-time announcer, using his given name Charles Wood. The following year he became the station's program director. He provided introduction and commentary for a six-record album of a collection of thirty-three speeches by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt titled FDR Speaks. It was in April 1962 that RKO General, owner of WGMS, transferred Mr. Osgood to WHCT in Hartford, Connecticut where he would be the station's general manager. WHCT was an early subscription television service, so that subscribers needed a decoder to watch the station. As it turned out, WHCT was not a success and Charles Osgood was not a success.

Out of work, Charles Osgood contacted a former classmate from Fordham, Frank Maguire, who was in charge of program development for ABC in New York. He hired Charles Osgood as a co-host and writer for the ABC Radio program Flair Reports. To avoid confusion with radio announcer Charles Woods, Charles Osgood then began using his first and middle name, "Charles Osgood," professionally.

It was in 1967 that Charles Osgood moved to CBS Radio. He worked as a reporter and anchor at WCBS (AM). It as also in 1967 that The Osgood File began as a segment on WCBS. It went national in 1971. It was in 1971 that Charles Osgood made the move to television and joined CBS News. He served as the anchor on The CBS Sunday Night News from 1981 to 198. He served as co-anchor on The CBS Morning News and an occasional news reader on CBS This Morning. He served as the host of CBS News Sunday Morning from 1994 to 2016, the longest serving host in the show's history. It was in 2017 that he retired from The Osgood File due to health concerns.  Over the years he contributed several stories to CBS News.

Charles Osgood served as the narrator on the animated movie Horton Hears a Who (2008). He wrote a syndicated news paper column for Tribune Media Services, as well as several books. He wrote a three-act play, A Single Voice, in 1956. 

As a radio and television commentator, Charles Osgood was ideal. He was affable and eloquent, and even utilized verse from time to time. Whether on CBS News Sunday Morning or The Osgood File, he was able to deliver stories that would both entertain and educate viewers and listeners. What is more, he was a light in the often dark world of television and radio news. The stories he covered were upbeat and positive, covering everything from popular culture to the arts to everyday people. He was in many ways a bright light in the darkness of television and radio news, where bad news often outnumbers the good news. To borrow some words from his family's statement upon his death, Charles Osgood highlighted the better parts of humanity. He was a rarity during his career and, sadly, even more of a rarity now.

Dial L for Latch-Key by Scott Fivelson

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Forty-three years after his death, Alfred Hitchcock remains one of the best known directors of all time. Even those few who have never seen his films can recognize him when they see him. Over the years Hitchcock's films and the tropes common to those films have been parodied many times, but few of those parodies are as funny as the one-act play Dial L for Latch-Key by screenwriter/director Scott Fivelson.

Dial L for Latch-Key takes its title from Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Dial M for Murder, which in turn was based on the 1952 play by Frederick Knott. It draws heavily upon Dial M for Murder for inspiration, with characters based upon the stars of that film (Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, and Robert Cummings). At the same time, Dial L for Latch-Key goes well beyond being a mere parody of Dial M for Murder, with its own twists and turns. Even those who have seen Dial M for Murder repeatedly will not be able to predict how Dial L for Latch-Key ends.

What makes Dial L for Latch-Key all the more fun are the many references to Alfred Hitchcock's films throughout the play. The play references Hitchcock's more famous works, such as The Birds (1963), as well as works that are not quite as famous, such as Stage Fright (1950). Dial L for Latch-Key also plays with the various tropes to be found in many of Hitchcock's films, not just Dial M for Murder. What makes Dial L for Latch-Key even better is that from time to time it very subtly breaks the fourth wall. In particular, the character of the Inspector seems to be in on the joke with the audience.

Dial L for Latch-Key has been produced onstage in London at the Upstairs at the Gatehouse theatre starring jazz singer/actor James Torme, at the Accidental Theatre in Belfast, and on stages in San Francisco, Toronto, and elsewhere. Dial L for Latch-Key has been adapted as a radio play and released as an audiobook (Blackstone Audio), has been broadcast on Resonance FM in London, and has been published as an eBook (Blackstone Publishing).

Dial L for Latch-Key is a delightful, yet respectful send-up of Alfred Hitchcock and his movies. What is more, it is done in such a way that one need not be a Hitchcock fan to appreciate it.

The Late Great Norman Jewison

Norman Jewison, who directed such films as In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), and Rollerball (1975), died on January 20 2024 at the age of 97.

Norman Jewision was born on July 21 1926 in Toronto, Ontario. His parents ran a general store. His interest in the arts began when he was young, and he studied piano and music theory at the Royal Conservatory. In high school he appeared in musicals and comedies. During World War II he served in the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1949 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Victoria College in the University of Toronto.

Norman Jewison worked as a taxi cab driver and as a radio actor on CBC programs. It was in 1950 that he did his first work in the United States, directing the first episode of the television version of Your Hit Parade for CBS. In 1950 he moved to London for work-study at the BBC. In 1952 he returned to Canada where he went to work for CBC Television. There he directed such shows as The Big Revue, The Denny Vaughan Show, The Wayne & Shuster Show, The Barris Beat and The Adventures of Chich. At the CBC he produced the shows Let's See, On Stage, and The Barris Beat. It was in 1958 that he was hired by NBC in New York City. He directed episodes of Your Hit Parade, The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams, The Big Party, The Revlon Revue, and the television specials An Hour with Danny Kaye and Belafonte, New York 19. He also directed the documentary The Fabulous Fifties, and TV special The Secret World of Eddie Hodges.

Norman Jewison began the Sixties directing the TV movie The Million Dollar Incident and the TV special The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe. He directed the 1962 TV special The Judy Garland Show, and would go onto produce Judy Garland's short-lived 1963-1964 variety show. He directed this first feature film, 40 Pounds of Trouble, which was released in 1962. He followed 40 Pounds of Trouble with The Thrill of It All (1963), Send Me No Flowers (1964), The Art of Love (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), and The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for In the Heat of the Night (1967). Norman Jewison finished the Sixties with The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and Gaily, Gaily (1969). 

In the Seventies Norman Jewison directed Fiddler on the Roof (1971), for which he was again nominated for the Oscar for Best Director. He directed the films Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Rollerball (1975), F.I.S.T. (1978), and ...And Justice for All (1979). In the Eighties he directed Best Friends (1982), A Soldier's Story (1984), and Agnes of God (1985). He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Director for Moonstruck (1987). He directed In Country (1989).

In the Nineties he directed Other People's Money (1991), Only You (1994), Bogus (1996), and The Hurricane (1999). He directed an episode of the mini-series Picture Windows and the TV documentary The 20th Century: Funny is Money. In the Naughts he directed the TV movie Dinner with Friends and the feature film The Statement (2003).

Norman Jewison directed some of my favourite films, including Send Me No Flowers,The Russians Are Coming The Russians are Coming, In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rollerball, and Moonstruck. He was certainly versatile. He directed everything from light comedies to crime dramas to musicals to science fiction. Whether he was dealing with comedy or drama, he had a gift for dealing with serious issues. Over the years he dealt with xenophobia and nationalism, racism, religion, corporatism, and religion. What is more, he handled such weighty topics very well. As a director Norman Jewison had a gift for bringing out the best in his actors. While Norman Jewison was nominated for the Oscar for Best Director only a few times, actors in his movies were nominated for Oscars twelve different times. Norman Jewison may well have been the most honoured Canadian director in film history, but he was also among the best directors of all time from any country. He certainly ranks among my favourite directors.