lovehatethings

Dr. Suess' only live action film - The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T. I didn't see this film until my 20s, but wow did it amaze me even then. The sets are design marvels. The musical numbers and acting are certainly of a time and place, but fine for a kid's film. And that said, most young kids would not appreciate what trip this film is. It's surreal.

Hans Conreid (known for dozens of cartoon voices, and dozens of appearances on 70's sitcoms) plays Dr. Terwilliker who's goal is to open a piano academy with 500 captive boys playing his uber piano. He locks all other musicians in his dungeon.

The above scene has the Dr. and the Handyman (who's decided to assist our young protagonist) in a Hypnotic Duel.

If you like musicals, Dr. Suess, or just need a good film to trip to this summer, see if you can find a copy of the 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.

Okay, if you weren't from Canada (and specifically Ontario) you may have never seen the Polka Dot Door while growing up. And, if you never saw the Polka Dot Door, you never saw Polkaroo. Polkaroo was one of the best legal trips one could have as a kid. Always a bit surreal and bit insane, the Polkaroo could express a million thoughts with any number of well-placed instances of the ubiquitous "Polkaroo".

Take the three minute trip of this video clip, or, to translate: "Polkaroo? Polkaroo!"

The first episode of this PSA, between-Saturday-morning-cartoon, episodic from 1972. I still remember the theme song from this years later. There's no way I remember the original air date as it must have run for several years, but I was just happy when I didn't have to watch "In the News" sponsored by Kellog's.

I think this was on sometime after Speed Buggy and before the The Krofft Supershow... ah, it brings me back to a happy place.

Wow! I remember seeing this show while growing up. Talk about feelgood, up-with-people, saccharin, I-want-to-stab-myself-in-the-eye advice. Sure, I know, it about a time and a place and trying to fill three minutes of Saturday morning kids programming to contrast the cartoons, but I can't help but laugh when a question about a girl not developing is turned into:

"Development is not a race.
We each have got a different pace.
There's nothing wrong, so don't you fret.
Your body's gonna get there yet.
And while you let it take that ride,
Develop who you are inside."

Thankfully the network gods realized I my mind would turn to mush after more than three minutes of this and reverted back to the New Shmoo, Laff-a-Lympics, Superfriends and Scooby Doo in quick course.

Can you survive through three minutes?

From the fine folks at wellmedicated.com comes a great set of old tobacco magazine ads from different points in the 20th century. The selection I've chosen above strikes close to home as it is a Canadian brand and the apartment is decked out in an "oh-so-hip" 60's design.

Click on the link under the pic to see the full set. I sometimes wonder what people could get away with advertising using such a stylish shot. So many products would work. Imagine this same shot today with Canadian Club, Viagra, or (what I think would be way cool) and iPod with a dock.

The power of kitsch compels you!
The power of kitsch compels you!

Many Canadians are all too familiar with this classic cartoon from the National Film Board, but for the benefit of the unitiated, I submit for your perusal, The Cat Came Back. If you just can't quite appreciate the storyline, you'll probably find the music quite infectious. It's sometimes years between seeing this short for me and I usually smile a nostalgic smile every time. Hope you enjoy it.

Perhaps the lamest Hanna Barbera show ever (and as much as I loved a lot of their stuff, they did have some stinkers). This show was kind of like Wild Kingdom cut with shots of B-actors in skins. And all this glory was narrated by Burgess Meredith, the Penguin in the original Batman series and Mickey from Rocky.

Another brilliant turn of Cookie Monster as Alistair Cookie on Monsterpiece Theatre doing "Conservations With My Father". Everything with Cookie Monster is an instant classic and here the blue fuzzball goes "green"... maybe he should be called eCookie Monster... "Me get you drift Pop!"