The Brady Bunch was a groundbreaking sitcom. But not for the reasons you might imagine. Yes, it was 'edgy' in the sense that it featured a very modern blended family. Yes, it was extremely funny. Yes, the stories were well-written. But that wasn't what sealed its fame and popularity.
The show broke new ground and became such a huge hit because it dealt head-on with the problems that kids faced. It was the first show of its kind to take on issues like the difficulty popularity, young love, sibling rivalry, self-image, cheating (in sports or in school) and dozens of other themes that affected kids' daily lives.
Though my parents would have preferred to watch almost anything else, they always let us watch The Brady Bunch. It was nice of our parents to give up the TV during primetime, but as I got older I realized they might have had an ulterior motive. Our parents might have believed that the Brady kids helped their kids navigate the confusing and sometimes treacherous waters of growing up.
And they would have been right about that!
Posted by:
Betty | 8:00 AM |
permalink45 years ago today, the 15,007,034
th Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line, breaking the world record for automobile production, which had been held for over 40 years by Ford’s famous Model T.
I don't remember the record breaking day, but I remember driving my Beetle until it - quite literally - gave up. By the time I'd finished with my red VW Bug, it had clocked close to 300,000 miles, the floorboards were so rusted that you could watch the highway roll by underfoot, and the backseat was a forboding forest of sprung springs.
I'll never forget its last ride. I loaded it up with surfboards, coolers, beach towels, and three brave souls who were willing to overlook the rust and navigate a place to sit between protruding springs and headed for the beach. At the end of the day, we were tired, sunburned, and ready to ride. But my Beetle wouldn't start.
It might seem silly, but I always thought my Bug's "happy place" was at the beach. So while my friends were calling friends or parents for a rescue ride, I still didn't call the tow truck. I just couldn't do it. Not yet. Somehow I knew that this was the end of our long love affair. So I spread out my beach towel and reclined against the driver's side door, watching one last sunset at the beach with my beloved Beetle.
Posted by:
Betty | 8:00 AM |
permalinkWednesday marked the 85th birthday of one of America's best-known composers, John Williams. Over his sixty year career, the composer, pianist/conductor has won 22 Grammy awards and several Golden Globes. He's also been nominated for 50 Academy Awards of which he won five. After Walt Disney, Williams is the most-nominated person in the industry.
Whether you think you know his music or not, chances are you (like me) grew up to the John Williams' soundtrack. He wrote the film scores for
E.T.,
Home Alone,
Jaws,
Raiders of the Lost Ark, and
Harry Potter, just to name a few. His score for the original
STAR WARS movie was recognized as the greatest American film score of all time by the American Film Institute.
As if that wasn't enough, Williams has also composed the music for Sunday Night Football (NBC), four Olympic Games, and - one of my personal favorites - the television show
Lost in Space.
Today some of the world's most respected symphonies perform Williams' music in concert. and in honor of his 85th birthday, the Boston Pops will dedicate their 2017 season to the composer, exposing a whole new audience to the master of the movie score.
Posted by:
Betty | 8:00 AM |
permalinkTinker Bell has always been one of my favorite Disney characters. Peter Pan's sassy sidekick is a mixture of tomboy, princess, magic fairy, and a girl with very human feelings. Especially when it comes to Wendy.
However, contrary to popular belief, Tinker Bell isn't jealous of Wendy because she was in love with Peter Pan. Tink just worries that Peter might take that "ugly old girl" on his grand adventures, leaving her behind.
That's not the only thing fans are confused about. Here are a few more Tink tidbits to clear things up:
- Tinker Bell's character and look wasn't based on Marilyn Monroe. Actress Margaret Kerry, who modeled the role in the studio, was the the real inspiration for Tink, right down to the actresses legs, which were dubbed "The Most Beautiful Legs In Hollywood."
- Tink's diet would kill most of us. It consists solely of candy, tea, and pumpkin muffins (her favorite). Only a magical fairy could eat like that and maintain her girlish figure, not to mention her health!
- She wasn't always pleased with her natural talent. Tink tried and tried to be more like "girlie-girl" fairies like Silver Mist, but it just wasn't in her Girl Power nature. So she finally learned to love herself for who she was.
Besides being one of the most recognizable fairies in the world, Tink is a worldwide Ambassador for Disney. Since the 1954 film
Disneyland, which introduced the park before it opened, Tinker Bell has played hostess in the opening of every Disney film, flying over the theme park with her magic wand and dusting the Magic Kingdom with her special blue fairy dust. To this day, it's still one of my favorite parts of Disney movies.
Posted by:
Betty | 8:00 AM |
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