Posts Tagged ‘NBC’
The romance of retail…
But then, Zippy can console himself that, as recent honoree H.L. Mencken observed, “no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”
As we revisit our plans to open that book store, we might recall that this is the anniversary of the premiere (in 1954) of Walt Disney’s first prime-time television program (Disneyland, on ABC; later re-titled The Wonderful World of Disney), the second longest running television franchise in the country (as measured in seasons aired), and arguably the nation’s first major full-length infomercial (…though Bonomo, The Magic Clown, which ran on NBC from 1949 to 1954– and which was essentially an advertisement for Bonomo Turkish Taffy– has a defensible rival claim to that honor).
Your correspondent is headed for points antipodal, where, as it happens, the drains do not spiral in a different direction, but where connectivity promises to be uncertain… consequently, for the next week or so, these missives are likely to be more roughly than daily.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://i0.wp.com/img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?w=700)
There are some places in the universe you don’t go alone…
Your correspondent is back, and bearing gifts… Our furiously funny friends at Blogadilla (“The Tijuana of the Internet”) have shared a Sweded version of Aliens, James Cameron’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s singular original. Created by Tim(botron), one of Blogadilla’s co-conspirators, it’s a complement to the “pre-makes” that (R)D considered just before the break– and a reminder that, in the right hands, $100 can go a long way…
In the time-honored tradition of re-gifting, here, Dear Readers, it is:
As we pass on the Gummi Bears, we might note that in Huichol, Mexico today is the Festival of Wawtsari (God of Deer Peyote)– that’s to say, the peyote mushroom festival. And in Egypt, it’s the Feast of Khepera, The Beetle God… in whose honor we might enjoy:
2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons skim milk
1/2 cup reduced calorie mayonnaise
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 1/2 tsp. Beau Monde
1 cup dry-roasted rootworm beetles
Blend first 3 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients & chill (out?).
Courtesy, Iowa State University Department of Entomology’s “Insect Recipes”
Disclaimer: The Department of Entomology at Iowa State University is not responsible for gastric distress, allergic reactions, feelings of repulsion, or other problems resulting from the ingestion of foods represented on these pages.
Neither is your correspondent…
ISU master chefs Kathy Gee and Julie Stephens
(pictured above with Jay Leno) Photo: NBC
Bottomed out? If only!…
Through good times and bad, comic strips have played a Greek chorus-like role in American life. Inspired exceptions (Krazy Kat, Calvin and Hobbes) aside, the comics pages have given voice (or voice bubbles, anyway) to the dreams– and nightmares– that Americans share.
So lest one be carried away by the recent updraft on Wall Street, one might consult Cathy…
… and indeed, one might consider Comics Alliance‘s round-up of “15 Suicidally Depressing Newspaper Comic Strips.”
As we swallow our selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, we might recall that it was on this date that the first “cartoon superstar,” Felix the Cat, premiered in a daily strip (1923, in the Daily Sketch in England, though the panels were quickly picked up across North America). Created by Otto Messmer (for producer Pat Sullivan), Felix had been a film star since 1919, and was in an estimated 60% of U.S. cinemas when he debuted in the funnies… Appropriately perhaps, Felix was the first image ever broadcast on television by NBC, as RCA chose a papier-mâché Felix doll for its 1930 experiment via W2XBS New York in Van Cortlandt Park. Shot on a rotating phonograph turntable, the image was chosen less for its celebrity than for its tonal contrast and its ability to withstand the intensely-hot lighting necessary…
source: TVHistory.com
Not fighting the last war…
From Brian Lane Winfield Moore, inspirational updates of classic war posters– propaganda for the new millennium!
See Norman Rockwell’s original here… and see Brian’s full set here.
As we feel the stirrings of a sense of duty, we might recall that on this date in 1941, NBC broadcast the first TV commercial to be sanctioned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The appearance of illegal ads on stations earlier in the year had moved the FCC to act; they began licensing commercial television stations in May 1941, granting the first license to NBC. During a Dodgers-Phillies game that was broadcast July 1, NBC pulled the trigger on its newly-acquired right, and ran its first commercial– for which the first legitimate television advertiser, Bulova, paid $4.
The first (legal) television commercial (source: MobHappy)
Increase your vocabulary!…
If, as Dr. Johnson suggested, “Every quotation contributes something to the stability or enlargement of the language,” Wordnik is a veritable Santa’s sack… One can watch the language evolve before one’s very eyes:
As we mind our p’s and q’s, we might we might recall that it was on this date in 1993– a bad day for word games–that both of the broadcast series “Scattergories” and “Scrabble” aired for the last time on NBC, effectively marking the end of the brief vogue for adapting popular board games into television quiz shows (the trend before and after being in the other direction: television to board)…
Your correspondent is turning to some family business for the next few days, a period during which these missives will likely be more roughly than daily. Apologies.
You must be logged in to post a comment.