12 Days of Watching (2024) #2: Bob Hope Christmas Special: "A Snow Job in Florida"

Well, I said I would do it. I said I would watch this, most likely on my own, when I mentioned the recent upload on our Facebook group. This is the December 1987 Bob Hope Christmas Special, A Snow Job in Florida, complete with original commercials:

So there are several ways to approach this. You may love Bob Hope and watch the show that way. You may also think that title is funny in and of itself. You may just love Christmas and tradition and enjoy seeing familiar faces. You may enjoy reliving the Eighties!

I am a mixture of all of that, but I have to admit that A) I watched this alone as Wife of the Show Laurie does not share my admiration for the Bob Hope persona and B) this special is not great without the nostalgia/showbiz love aspect. The 84-year-old Hope is showing his age in this hour, and the format is showing its age, too--maybe more so.

I won't apologize for liking the whole thing, though it's not nearly as good as, say, the special we covered on the podcast. The time capsule experience is too good to pass up. It begins with a long monologue that features topical references galore: E.F. Hutton, Imelda Marcos, Jesse Helms, Again, if you like the "Snow Job in Florida" title, you will appreciate much of this without irony, but Bob seems off for much of the segment, like he needed a bit to warm up.

The rest of the program is a typical mix of music and comedy sketches. I think the musical highlight is the duet Reba McEntire and Bob perform of "Silver Bells," which works despite (or maybe because?) they call attention to the artificial environment and simulated snow. There's a certain charm to this that just works.

Most of the comedy is uneven at best, with familiar faces like Brooke Shields, Morgan Fairchild, and always-game Tony Randall showing up. The All-American college football stars appear for the traditional sequence, and that's pretty much what you expect, too. The Rose Queen does a bit with Bob, and we see Bob at the event know as the Beach Ball in Florida.

It's all a bit scattershot, but there is enough holiday cheer in that traditional showbiz way to keep things moving, if just barely. There's something to be said for tradition, but at this point it's clear we're at the end of the line of Hope's remarkable career in entertainment.  The only problem is, there were 5 more years of official Hope specials, Christmas and otherwise, after this! 

Right now, let's not think about that, but let's kick back and enjoy some Hope and even some vintage commercials. Yes, Texaco is featured, though not with Bob as spokesman. Would you accept an appearance by short-lived Energizer pitchman Jacko?

12 Days of Watching (2024) #1: NYC Christmas commercials

One of my favorite YouTube accounts is run by Hugo Faces, who posts a lot of great clips from the New York City stations I watched as a kid. Here is a recent compilation of several holiday-themed commercials, and I think it's a solid warmup for 12 Days of Watching:

Included here: Several ads for Arthur's, a chain I don't recall even hearing about. There certainly weren't any locations in my area. While watching this clip, Laurie declared no one wanted a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, so that's one thing I can remove from my shopping cart!

Consumers Catalog is another unfamiliar concept, but I did have Service Merchandise. What is this guy doing in that ad for the latter? "Oh, how did you guess?" "Well, it wasn't easy considering you insisted on playing charades instead of just telling me what you wanted."

And of course any video of NYC 1980s ads is enriched by a Crazy Eddie spot!

RetroFan has an outstanding article on a lesser-seen TV show of the 1970s

Whaddya know? I got my new RetroFan mag last week and realized I never commented on the last one. In this look at the previous RetroFan magazine, number 35 if you're scoring at home, I am going to present some mild criticism--a rare occasion in these reviews! It remains my toppermost of the poppermost favorite mag, and I am about to renew my print mail subscription, in fact.

First I must spotlight one of the best pieces I have seen in RetroFan: Robert Greenberger's in-depth look at The Name of the Game, a Universal "wheel" show that aired on NBC 1968 to 1971.  You get info on the series' genesis, behind-the-scenes stories, and all kinds of info that will make you wish the scrapped DVD release had come to fruition. The program aired on Cozi years back but has not had much of a rerun footprint. Greenberger has had a long and varied career in entertainment and especially comic books, and I hope he is a regular author in these pages. 

While the subject matter in the rest of the issue is varied and compelling, I did get a nagging sense that more than usual was promotional in nature or directing us to other material. The magazine always gives helpful in-text references to other issues--editor's notes that say, for example, see issue #4 for a look at the topic just mentioned--but something about the stories this time out got me a bit. 

Mark Arnold's story on rock bands in TV cartoons is amusing but often feels like a promo for his book on the subject, and Herbie J. Pilato's "Christmas TV Memories" is a mere page taken from one of his own books. I like the work of both authors and think maybe this is an editorial thing.

Elsewhere, Will Murray writes about his time on the set of Evil Dead II years ago, and Mark Voger writes about John Astin, drawing on several interviews he did with the actor in the past. Now, I realize with this subject matter--old-school all the way--we aren't gonna get new interviews with many of these stars, but I do want to point out that much of the material in each issue is authors drawing on previously published work. It's usually quite successful. It does, however, make pieces like Greenberger's stand out even more.

I enjoyed the thorough look at Space Ghost and the story on coffee advertising, of all things, and I always appreciate a look at the TV show Isis. The latter is another repurposing of old interviews, and I just point that out hoping RetroFan maintains a balance and continues to present such material in fresh and interesting ways!

Top Ten #331: Special "Baby, it's cold inside, not just outside, lately" Edition!

1) Season 12: Our regular season is in the books, but be ready for Batty season! Thanks again for listening to another epic batch of new episodes!

2) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The beloved (especially by me) Christmas special made its debut on NBC (OK, it was on there a hundred years ago, but you know what I mean) the other night. I was all prepared to say it was a little too early, and then I realized, hey, it was December 6. I mean, we're already almost in crunch holiday time here!

3) Twas the Night Before Christmas: The not-as-beloved Christmas special (Face it, it doesn't have the star power that Rudy does with its assortment of great characters) premiered 50 years ago tonight on CBS.

4) Dick Van Dyke: In anticipation of his 99th birthday, Catchy Comedy is running a Dick Van Dyke Show marathon this weekend. It would be great if they threw in some of his fire safety PSAs!

5) The Waltons: The family drama is now streaming on Peacock, which still has Little House on the Prairie, so we can finally have that Waltons vs. Ingalls smackdown we've all wanted to have for 50 years.

6) Teri Hatcher: Happy 60th birthday to our favorite Love Boat mermaid!

7) National Brownie Day: Remember I mentioned the holiday season was upon us? It's never too early to start loading up on sweets and other junk food!

8) The 51st State: 50 years ago tonight, this New York public broadcasting show featured "A discussion about violence on television, with critics John J. O'Connor (New York Times), Kay Gardella (Daily News), and Marvin Kitman (Newsday)." If only Chicago could be represented with Gary Deeb.

9) Henry Hamilton, Graduate Ghost: 40 years ago this afternoon, part 1 of this ABC Weekend Special premiered. The titular ghost begins his haunting career, aided by a cast including Larry Gelman and John Lawlor. Lin Manuel Miranda, if you are looking for sequel material...

10) R.I.P. Thom Christopher: 

YouTube Spotlight: "Children's Favorites" LP

Forgive me for using the Sesame Street YouTube Spotlight post to share a video from the playlist that is not from Sesame Street. We did stuff the playlist with Sesame clips, and yesterday's Power Rankings featured 10 more. Instead, then, let's take another look at this "Children's Favorites" LP ad that Mike mentions on the pod:

83 tracks sounds like a great deal! You have to love the song selection, too.

I tell you, though, the animation is almost bizarre, and this ad really puzzled me when it aired (and it aired a LOT) back in the day. The most baffling moment is the clip at--Wait! There are TWO "Children's Favorites" LP ads! I included both of them, but THIS is the one I want to focus on today. In particular, go to the 26-second mark.

What IS this song? The only time I ever heard this tune is watching this ad.

"Boom, boom! Ain't it great to be crazy?
Boom, boom! Ain't it great to be crazy?"

Is this an actual children's favorite or some kind of psy-op?

I just looked around, and after 40 years of wondering, I know know this IS a kiddie standard. The likes of Barney the Dinosaur and Mickey Mouse covered it. I must have been deprived. After hearing the cloying (even in context) version on "Children's Favorites," I felt more depraved.

Power Rankings: Forgotten/Underseen Sesame Street Characters

As suggested on the podcast, this week's exclusive power rankings look at the long-forgotten, underutilized, or otherwise neglected characters on Sesame Street. Some may pop up from time to time, but they were all much bigger in the BOTNS era but have been, for the most part, sidelined for one reason or another.

Remember, this ranking is based on how each character would fare against another on a given day at a neutral playground at Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School.

1) Don Music: The epitome of the tortured genius, Music has undeniable talent but also undeniable issues. His inability to deal with creative struggles without bashing his head on his piano, says the great book Sesame Street Unpaved by David Borgenicht, is why the producers nixed him after reports that kids were imitating the behavior.

2) Roosevelt Franklin: As we noted on the podcast, he was thought to reinforce negative stereotypes. Unpaved also points out the classroom setting for many of his appearances was considered too rowdy and poor modeling for children. Of course, that contrast between that milieu and the normal series atmosphere is one of the main reasons his segments are so funny today.

3) Fat Blue/Mr. Johnson: He was a regular on the show for years, then went out of the rotation (though I think he still makes occasional appearances). He is an identifiable Everyman sharing many of the qualities we all do--hungry, a little cranky, and often annoyed by Grover.

4) Lefty: Is he the single seediest character to ever appear on the regular on the series?

5) The Amazing Mumford the Magician: Still a member in good standing, as far as I know, but more in the underseen category--apt status, perhaps, given his penchant for making things disappear.

6) Sherlock Hemlock: The master detective's skills have not diminished with time, though his screen time may have.

7) Harvey Kneeslapper: OK, he can be irritating in more than small doses, but for a minute or two at a time, his voice, his corny jokes, even his mustache all amuse me. Unpaved says he was retired for being a one-note character and for straining Frank Oz's voice with that (I will concede) shrill laugh.

8) Simon Soundman: I like the awe he inspires in Bert with his uncanny voicing abilities. He makes Michael Winslow look like an amateur.

9) Herry Monster: Again, he is still active, I think, but relegated to background status. He should be a major player again.

10) Herbert Birdsfoot: He brings a certain intellectual savoir faire to the program. I didn't remember him until we prepared for the podcast, and now I want to see more. He has a great look.

Top Ten #330: Special "Thanksgiving lingers!" Edition

1) Thanksgiving and Ed McMahon: It (was) Thanksgiving Dayyyyy! A time of love and of play! Hope all of you who celebrate had a great holiday. Yes, this is the third time I posted the video this week.

2) Other Thanksgiving specials: It's not ALL Charlie Brown, after all!

3) Sesame Street: Our regular-season finale this week goes to where the air is sweet! We have a great time revisiting the show, and we hope you enjoy this episode.

4) Oscar the Grouch: He was one of the only heavy hitters we didn't really get to focus on in the episode, so let's include him here.

5) Bert and Ernie: What a legendary duo! Two pals that care for each other despite the constant annoyance, mostly in one direction, and, no, I am not attempting an extended metaphor for the podcast relationship.

6) Gordon: The character so cool, it takes 3 actors to play him!

7) The John Denver Show: This special premiered 50 years ago tonight on ABC as John welcomed Dick Van Dyke, George Gobel, and Doris Day. Spoiler alert: He sings "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."

8) Giant clams: Word has it that one of the menaces in the number one movie, Moana 2, is a giant clam, which is all well and good, but it can't top when it was done in Batty-award-winning fashion decades ago on Doctor Who!

9) Spencer: The short-lived Chad Lowe sitcom debuted 40 years ago tonight on NBC. Before it ended, it added Harold Gould, who we talked about twice this season, as a grandfather.

10) R.I.P. Earl Holliman, Chuck Woolery: