FORGOTTEN HITS: Tuesday This And That

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Tuesday This And That

The list of '60's celebs leaving us seems to be growing at an accelerated rate ...

Now we've lost Illya ...

Actor David McCallum ... who first rose to fame on THIS side of the pond playing Russian Agent Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., starring opposite (and working in tandem with) Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo ... has passed away at the age of 90 of natural causes.

He was an immediate heartthrob ... soon, in addition to his own successful hit television series, he was moonlighting on the side, hosting popular TV programs like Hullabaloo and The Big T.N.T. show ... and even releasing his own records. (I didn't say HIT records ... his only chart hit, "Communication," peaked at #95 in 1966 ... and only managed to bubble under in Billboard at #117 ... but during his first US television hot streak, he also released FOUR ALBUMS for Capitol Records!)

You regularly found his picture on the cover of all the teen magazines ... even 'tho in 1964 when The Man From U.N.C.L.E. first premiered on NBC, David was already in his early 30's. He reportedly received more fan mail than any other actor in MGM's history ... and that list includes Elvis Presley, Cary Grant and Clark Gable! (But it wasn't just his "teen appeal" ... his peers also appreciated his work on another level ... during U.N.C.L.E.'s 3 1/2 season run, McCallum was nominated for two Emmys and a Golden Globe.)

McCallum disappeared from the American screen for a few decades before resurfacing as a regular ("Ducky") on N.I.C.S., where he worked for twenty years. Although I've never watched that program (or The Man From U.N.C.L.E either, for that matter!), it sounds like the series was able to have some fun with his old character's name along the way. Wikipedia points out that in Season 2, Episode 13, N.C.I.S. character Kate Todd asks Tony Dinozzo, "What did Ducky look like when he was younger?" ... and the answer she was given was "A young Ilya Kuryakin."

Then, in Season 20, Episode 21, Ducky mentioned that someone the team was searching for had changed their name and they had taken it from a old TV show. He said that they changed their name to Ivan Kuryakin, to which costar Gary Cole replied, "I remember that show!"

David McCallum made his mark on both the small and big screen. He was a pop culture icon and he will be missed. (kk)

David's parents were both classically trained musicians. His father was first violinist for The London Philharmonic Orchestra and his mother was a cellist. Although David was signed to Capitol Records as a recording artist (he, in fact, released FOUR albums while he was with the label), he never quite lived up to his family lineage in this respect ... but he certainly made them proud as an actor.

Harvey Kubernik sent us this from Kirk Silsbee ...

When he was a Man From U.N.C.L.E., the world was at the actor's feet; he could write his own ticket, seemingly anywhere. And Hollywood was clamoring to do what Hollywood has always done -- take popular actors into the recording studio and let them make fools of themselves. Producer David Axelrod knew that McCallum was serious about music and in 1992, he spoke about how he beat all the other labels to record three albums that sold well:

DAVID AXELROD: I remember when I brought David McCallum to Capitol. Everybody said, ‘No, no, no, no, no…’ Because there was the very famous Thursday Capitol A & R meeting. All the publishers knew that you can’t come up to Capitol on Thursdays. But (CAPITOL PRESIDENT) Alan J. Livingston saw the same thing that I saw, which was in Variety: David McCallum broke Clark Gable’s fan mail record for one week at MGM as Illya Kuryakin in 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' The way they were shooting it down, I just figured, I’m not gonna get into the idea because I’m gonna do this album some kind of way. Suddenly Livingston leaned forward in a very quiet voice and said, ‘If you can sign him, sign him.’ And it was incredible how everybody suddenly said, ‘Well, uh, yeah…yeah…’ Because he saw the same potential I did.

I had met McCallum doing the theme and somehow he came to the date. I don’t remember who brought him. We were introduced. So when I went to talk to him, I made a verbal agreement with him and had his agents talk to Business Affairs at Capitol. I don’t know if you remember that album but when it came out it was a smash! 'Music Is a Part of Me.' He came from a musical background: his father was the concert master of either the London Symphony or the London Philharmonic, then left that to go with Mantovani, who offered him three times the money. And David played the oboe, I believe, until he was 16, and he could sight-read.

One afternoon I was having lunch at the Knickerbocker Hotel and Neely Plum came over. He was vice president of RCA out here. He could sign anyone he wanted to. He went, ‘How did you get David McCallum? I know the deal he got with Capitol. We offered him more money.’ I said, ‘The thing is, he doesn’t need money. He’s making a fortune from 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' every week.’ What he wanted to do was make music. ‘Who did you send to talk to him?’ ‘Well, I sent the guy from Business Affairs.’ ‘Big mistake. You shoulda gone, Neely, because you’re a helluva musician and an arranger.’ He just shrugged. ‘Cause that was a Top Ten album. I’m very fond of that album, know the whole story very well in my mind because it was the first hit album I had at Capitol after two years."

From Timmy ...

VERY cool!!!

(Do you think it's too late to order one???)

WAY back in the mid-'60's my father worked for a printing company that printed a lot of those collectible bubble gum card sets that you used to be able to buy ... including The Man From U.N.C.L.E. set

I used to have a full press sheet showing every card in the series hanging on my wall in my bedroom ...

Which would be quite a valuable collectors' item today I would imagine.

But of course I didn't save it.

(We had the Outer Limits press sheet hanging up there, too!) kk

Meanwhile, in addition to this new bit of sad news, folks are still talking about the passing of Terry Kirkman of The Association.

Harvey Kubernik also sent us this article that, in his words, "says it all" ...

https://thebluemoment.com/

And Billboard featured "Cherish" in their on-going "Forever #1" Series ...

https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-association-cherish-song-analysis-1235420136/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb&recipient_salt=3a1d6b09af3b92ad7e38f8327cf18febeb049fd1c9a251b66957a07d9375735c

I don't quite understand their headline, however ...

"Cherish" was NOT the group's "lone Hot 100 topper" ...

"Windy" ruled the roost for four weeks in 1967 ... a week LONGER than "Cherish" topped the chart the year before.

(OK ... maybe it makes sense ... although they certainly could have worded it better ... I'm thinking they mean the lone chart topper WRITTEN by Terry Kirkman.)

BTW ... Did you know that Scott Shannon used to close his radio program every day by playing "Cherish?" Well, he did! (kk)

Wow ... I didn't see this one coming!

Tom Cuddy sent me this story from Inside Radio ...

Rick O'Dell from Me-TV-FM announced his retirement yesterday, effective October 4th.

I am very sad to see him go ...

Rick brought the right amount of balance to Me-TV-FM's playlist ... and he really enjoyed what he did (and how much the listeners loved and appreciated him for it.)

But by the same token, as much as I know that I will personally miss him, I have to wish him the very best and share in his joy as he opens the next chapter in his life.

Rick and Me-TV-FM have been good friends to Forgotten Hits over the years ... and we'll miss working with him. (Dammit, Rick, I've still got all kinds of great programming ideas!!! Who'm I going to talk to now?!?!?)

Seriously, 'tho, we wish you nothing but the very best ... I truly do appreciate you and everything we've worked on together. And I'll sincerely miss you. (kk)

https://www.insideradio.com/free/veteran-chicago-programmer-rick-o-dell-to-retire/article_ca9f729a-5be7-11ee-9644-af1e06320f00.html