Gene Gene The Dancing Machine

Eugene Patton, or "Gene Gene The Dancing Machine" was a Gong Show stagehand who got into the act. He would come out and dance to Milton De Lugg's orchestra playing "Jumpin' At The Woodside" when the show needed a boost. This became so popular that a record was released in 1978:

Click either pic for a larger version. Listen to the music here.

I saw Gene every once in a while on The Tonight Show in Leno's early days. He's had some health problems and is now retired. Go watch him on YouTube and think some good thoughts his way.

Vanderbilt Cartoon And Comics Symposium 1972

My freshman year at Vanderbilt, I went to a cartoon and comics symposium that was held on campus right across the field from my dorm room. Check the guest speaker list:

This was supposedly the first time Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had appeared together since Jack left Marvel. I left to go to the Friday night portion of the show.

I was super impressed just to see these guys, much less to hear them talk. Dave Berg came on and talked about Mad Magazine. Allen Saunders was older but very cool, and Stan Lee was Stan Lee. Gahan Wilson was very dry. Someone asked him if he was influenced by Charles Addams, and he looked at him a moment and said, "Yes".

Click either of the pics for much larger versions.

The next morning Garry Trudeau led off. Doonesbury was probably the hottest strip in the country then, and Garry got more questions than anyone else.

I wish I'd taken notes at the talks, cause I don't remember as much as I wish I could. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee both said nice things about each other, and Mell Lazurus drew a lot of his Miss Peach characters on a big easel.

T.K. Ryan was very quiet at first, but ended up showing off a very good sense of humor.

At the end of the talks, we all went out to Curry Field for a barbeque sandwich and questions and answers with the artists. I tried to ask an intelligent question of Garry Trudeau about the state of the Ivy League humor magazines since National Lampoon had all the talent, and he said the state of Ivy League humor was pretty sorry.

A great show, and I'm much more impressed at it now than I was at 19.

Separated At Birth?

I was watching the new movie version of "Hairspray" the other night. Amanda Bynes plays Penny Pingleton, who looks like this much of the movie.


Where have I seen that expression before?

As the man said when asked how many Nashville record producers it took to screw in a light bulb, "I don't know, what do you think?"

Darryl Starbird's Hall Of Fame Auto Museum

It was always a good time when Darryl Starbird's Auto Show came to town. They had the three ingredients for a good time - cars, girls, and rock 'n roll. Listen to a 1970s radio spot here.


Years later, Darryl's got his own museum close to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The pics you see here are from the museum website. See more here.

VeggieTales Seeds from Home Depot

And you thought making your kids eat vegetables was hard before...


This is wrong on so many levels.

Art From Space World Magazine

Space World Magazine ran these pics in 1982 for an article called "Space and The Arts". NASA hired artists to record their impressions of the space program from behind the scenes. The result was some wonderful art. Click any pic to enlarge.

"On the Pad and Launch" acrylic painting by Paul Salmon.

"Launch of the Columbia - STS-1" mixed media painting by Chet Jezierski.

"Space Shuttle Orbiter" by Robert McCall.

"Columbia Launch Fantasy" mixed media painting by Andreas Notebohm.

"Solid Rocket Booster Recovery Tests" drawing by Maria Epes.


"The Labyrinth" gouache painting by Charles Schmidt.

"Flight Of The Columbia" oil painting by Jack Perimutter.

Why Is That In The Ad?

Here's an ad for the new Infinity Razor. Sounds like a great product.



One question, though. If this is the last razor you'll ever need, why would you want two of them?

GE Radios 1951

Here are two General Electric radio ads from The Saturday Evening Post in 1951. In 25 years, people won't remember what a radio looked like.

Mazeppa Pompazoidi

Gailard Sartain had his own late night TV show in Tulsa back in the early 70s, and it's attained cult status among those who remember it. His host name was Mazeppa Pompazoidi. Local guy Gary Busey was also on the show. A friend who used to watch the show loaned me this record:


Listen to "Scope Them Turkeys Out" here.

Find out more about the good Doctor and buy his videos at www.mazeppa.com.

The York Hotel Court Nashville

I don't think it's here anymore. And I know those trees are gone. 

Click pic to go back in time.

UPDATE: checked it on Google Earth. Hotel is gone, trees ARE there, I-65 is just behind the hill.

The 5 Neat Guys

One of the best SCTV skits, the 5 Neat Guys. Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Dave Thomas, and Rick Moranis. See them in action here.

Click the pic for a nice wallpaper for your desktop.

The Peacemaker Comic

"A Man Who Loves Peace So Much That He Is Willing To Fight For It!"
Well, it's not quite the Fugs and "Kill For Peace", but how could you not buy this comic book?


The Peacemaker was from Charlton Comics in 1968, who also gave us The Fly, The Jaguar, and Captain Atom. Funny thing, though, are the ads inside: Click any pic to enlarge.


You can make a lot of peace with all that stuff.

The Peacemaker's been brought back more times than an Arab-Israeli summit. You can read all of his convoluted history here.

The Cult of Whataburger

On a trip to Pensacola Florida last month, I ate at a Whataburger for the first time in years. The chain has grown and shrunk regionally over the years, and they're now in ten states.


There was a Whataburger on Charlotte Avenue in Nashville in the late 70s, and I remembered the burgers as big and oniony. If anything they're bigger now, and really good.


Maybe they'll expand back to Nashville one day. Hope so.

Good burger chains are a treasure. In Nashville right now, we have Fat Mo's, and a new Five Guys in Green Hills. What's your favorite burger chain? Post a comment and let us know.

Christmas Ephemera

More Christmas Fun: The Scared of Santa Gallery

The link for the whole collection is here.








Here are some Christmas pics. Click on them for wallpaper sized versions. Keep checking back, I'll be adding more Christmas ephemera through New Year's.

You can hear the song by clicking here.

As a kid, I won a copy of "Hooray for Santa Claus" on 45 rpm record. Years later I found a whole story album of the movie, and inside was this comic book!



Was there a whole set of California Raisin Christmas figures? I've found two.

Grinchy Mints. Yum.

And don't forget Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Card.

Hoveround Scares Me

I don't know about you, but my worst nightmare is a bunch of oldsters doing wheelies in my mall, clogging up the streets, and showing up unannounced at my door. I'm almost in this demographic, but it scares me.

Sheraton - Boston Hotel

"Boston's newest, most exciting hotel. 29 soaring stories of inviting convenience. Seven great specialty restaurants and lounges. Huge lanai terraced swimming pool. Right at Prudential Center Exit 22, Massachusetts Turnpike".

Memories of Opryland USA

Opryland USA, or just "Opryland", was a theme park that opened in 1972. It drew people from all over the country to Nashville. Here are some pictures that I took during the height of Opryland's popularity in 1978. These were taken with a 35mm camera, but focus never was my strong point. Click on any pic for a larger version.


The Wabash Cannonball was the third roller coaster to be built at the park. The ground under the loop was always littered with caps and hats that had fallen off. At its peak, Opryland had five roller coasters.


To get these shots, I climbed and stood on the rail of the exit ramp. It took three minutes before security chased me off.


The Tennessee Waltz. Wait one half hour after eating before this ride.

Opryland had many stages with live shows, and music was piped throughout the whole park. You can get the whole experience by listening to Opryland Radio USA on www.live365.com. You'll hear actual recordings of park music and shows. If you keep the sound in the background, it's like you're there! There's also an Opryland Yahoo Group here.


The Flume Zoom was a favorite. Many hats were lost over the drop.


There was a full mechanical arcade. Here's the basketball game. There were also animal games. I wished I'd gotten a pic of the Tic-Tac-Toe playing chickens.


Opryland closed in 1997, but many people didn't realize that. I worked weekly at CMT, and for an entire summer, I would see RVs and vans from all over America pull up to the entrance, just like Walley World. There were full time staffers at the gate just to turn people away. Was the park closed due to insurance concerns, the fact that Dollywood and Branson were luring away customers, or new ownership that just didn't care? The debate continues.