More Of Your 1969 Comments

re: SWEETWATER:
>>>Sweetwater ... the movie advertisement says that they were the first “band” to appear ... (Dwight Rounds)
>>>Sweetwater was the first act SCHEDULED to appear at the Woodstock Music And Arts Festival ... but they, like THOUSANDS of others, were trapped in the traffic jam surrounding the event site. As such, after an already delayed, late start, the organizers asked Richie Havens to open the show instead. (kk)
Kent,
Thanks for printing this. I don't remember how long Havens was "stuck" out there, but I think it was at least an hour, much longer than he had planned.
By "movie", I meant the Sweetwater Movie, not Woodstock. They were really not the first band, as you pointed out. Richie Havens (and band [drummer?]) was. I know this is picky, but I would define a band as two or more musicians. "George Harrison" was actually the George Harrison Band, Elvis Presley was the Elvis Presley Band, etc. The only real "solo" albums I know of are the first Paul McCartney, and early Bob Dylan. Neil Young would perform "solo", but always had a band (Crazy Horse, Stray Gators, etc.) as his band. Speaking of "solo" performances, I think McGuinn is the best, even better than Neil Young. Check these out. What an incredible voice he still has!
Dwight Rounds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1qCcrwBP5k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWPzA5k5QRY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SEzMVbj03A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmUfozZ7Eyk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzpy0s8_VDw
Depending on which report you believe, Havens stayed out there anywhere from one hour to THREE hours ... and, in fact, "Freedom", the song so prominently featured in the Woodstock Movie and Soundtrack, was pretty much improvised on the spot. (In fact, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" was apparently performed because Sweetwater was known for THEIR version of this tune!) All of this is pretty amazing when one considers that "Freedom" now very well may be the song we most remember Richie Havens for, despite his Top 20 version of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun"!
According to Rob Kirkpatrick's new book "1969: The Year Everything Changed", "With Sweetwater still nowhere in sight and a gathering of approaching storm clouds casting a dark hue over the Catskill horizons, (Promoter Michael) Lang convinced folksinger Richie Havens, who was originally scheduled to play later in the evening, to take the stage and officially kick off the festival just after 5:00. Havens responded with a hypnotic nine-song set that energized the masses while framing the weekend with an awareness of, as he told the crowd, 'the people that are going to read about you tomorrow.'" Kirkpatrick (who has now come onboard as one of our most recent Forgotten Hits Readers) goes on to say that Havens chose "an improvised number to close his set ... 'Freedom' ... with lines from the traditional Negro spiritual 'Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,' a song that Sweetwater had covered for its biggest hit, thrown in for good measure." And, with that, the festival had OFFICIALLY begun!!! (kk)
BTW: Havens performs a brand new version of "Freedom" (called "Freedom 2009") over the end credits of the new film "Taking Woodstock" ... for me another disappointing trip to the movies. We had REALLY been looking forward to this one ... I feel that for most of the film they totally missed their mark, focusing on too many issues that don't really matter to the millions of fans of the festival. Most disappointing was the lack of any real Woodstock music typically associated with this incredible weekend. I mean there were little bits and pieces here and there, but it seems that SOME sort of licensing agreement could have been worked out that would have benefited ALL parties concerned, especially with all the brand new Woodstock merchandise that's been flooding the market lately ... and the re-release of the film in its "Director's Cut" edition. (They DID use the split-screen technique to great effect, however!) It also seems that a lot of the "back story" of getting the festival off the ground ... as well as the massive amount of chaos that it created ... were overlooked while other matters that had absolutely NO impact on the festival itself ... Elliot Tiber discovering that he was gay, for example ... were given major screen time. Even Eugene Levy as Max Yasgur, a pivitol character, was barely used. My score on a 1-10: 2.

re: SHA NA NA:
Sha Na NA celebrates their 40th Anniversary with a New CD featuring 20 tracks with 6 previously unreleased songs on it. The Record Company is Pat Boone's Gold Label. Jimmy Jay did the Radio Spot for the CD in the style of the 50’s and it is attached.
Jimmy Jay

Thanks, Jimmy. How sad that the release of this new hits collection coincides with the passing of Dirty Dan McBride! And, right on the heels of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, too! (kk)
Hey, anybody remember the cool little commercial Jimmy Jay did for Forgotten Hits a couple of years ago???


re: WOODSTOCK:
I just picked up a new book by Pete Fornatale, "Back to the Garden". It's the story of Woodstock, told by the musicians who were there and the behind-the-scenes people who made it happen. Really fascinating. He got some terrific people. Frankly, I'm impressed that he found so many who remember 1969. Pete has been a radio personality in New York for 40 years, who also happens to be in "Airplay". I know there are a lot of Woodstock books out this year, but this one's special.
Carolyn Travis
Frannie made my birthday a Woodstock-themed celebration this year ... we went to go see "Taking Woodstock" ... she got me the 40th Anniversary Director's Cut DVD Box Set of the movie as well as the books "The Road To Woodstock" by Michael Lang, who organized the whole thing and an unbelievable photo book put together by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague called "Woodstock: Peace, Music and Memories" that includes some BEAUTIFUL photos. We saw an entire table of books dedicated to Woodstock at Barnes and Nobles this summer so there are PLENTY of great reads to choose from ... including a paper dolls book where you can dress Grace Slick and Janis Joplin for the concert!!! (lol) Again, I am just COMPLETELY blown away by how "mainstream" this whole festival has become forty years later ... back in '69 anybody even THINKING about going was looked down upon as a complete freak!!! (kk)

re: TV, 1969:
Your mention of the Thursday night TV schedule reminded me of this clip for "This Is Tom Jones" from KGO from 1969. (And a snippet of Donovan, too.)
David Lewis



ON 1969 TV WATCHING - We only had ONE tv in the house until the late 60's (and mom & dad got to choose the program), got our first color tv in 1968 ... it was a huge console that had a record player on one side, and radio controls on the other in hinged lids with the tv in the middle ... a 'fancy' piece of furniture ... I did manage a black & white tv in my bedroom FINALLY ... but not one of those compact 12 models that came along later (and cheaper) ... I don't think we ever had a remote control in my parent's house ... as a matter of fact, I think my first tv remote was in the early 80's when the archaic cable boxes had the channel changing part on a long cable that you could place where you sat ... you NEVER left the tv on all night in my mom's house ... so I bought one of those clunky timers to shut off your lights and would set it for 1 in the morning ... I was one of the first to get a vcr ... (cost $900) ... remote on a thin wire, would only pause the show, but the screen went blank for that time ... and was the size of a microwave ... with dials to select the channel ... blank 2-4 hour tapes cost $20 each ...Has ANY 30 year old ever seen a tv station go off the air with a test pattern ? (or 40 year old?) ...

Geez did we come a long way in a short time ...
(gary) RENFIELD
http://www.riprenfield.com/
I remember distinctly telling somebody once that if I was EVER too lazy to get up and change the television channel, I'd simply stop watching TV all-together!!! This was back in the day where you had to pay extra to get a remote ... and they were primarily being marketed to older folks so that they wouldn't have to get up out of their easy-chairs. Of course nowadays you don't have any option BUT to use the remote ... and, with 500+ channels, I couldn't even imagine standing there changing them manually anymore. And talking about color TVs, we were one of those families that bought that ridiculous see-through color wax paper that you TAPED to the front of your TV screens ... it was three horizontal bands of color ... blue at the top (so that all your skies looked blue), red in the middle (so that you had color skin tones) and green at the bottom (for the grass.) Of course this system only really worked for about six minutes of Bonanza each week ... everything else looked TOTALLY ridiculous!!! (It very well may rank as one of the most RIDICULOUS inventions of its time ... but my Dad still went out and bought one!!! lol) When we finally got a REAL color TV, I was thrilled ... by then nearly every program was being broadcast in color and you just couldn't live without one. (And I think the price finally dropped down to around $500, too.) Did you hear about the Celebrity Roast for Joan Rivers the other night? Carl Reiner was one of the Roasters ... but another roaster (I can't remember the guy's name ... one of those D-List comedians, I'm pretty sure) got a jab in at Reiner, who he congratulated on making his color television debut that night!!! (lol) Technology truly HAS come a long, long way. (By the way, I bought one of the very first VHS recorders, too ... once BetaMax was deemed to be on its way out. I had already purchased three or four videos in anticipation of eventually owning a player to actually watch them on ... and I wanna say back then that VHS Player was every bit of $1200!!! Unreal! (kk)


re: BRIAN JONES:
Talk about your Echoes of '69 ... I just heard that British Police are reopening a complete investigation into the "mysterious" drowning of former Rolling Stones Guitarist Brian Jones. Jones quit the band over creative differences and then, three weeks later, drowned in his own swimming pool. At the time, everybody just figured he was another casualty of the drug-induced '60's ... but now they say they've got reason to believe that foul play was involved. (Apparently somebody made a death bed confession that HE was responsible for Brian's death!) It'll be interesting to see how all of this develops. (Rumor has it that Detective Lilly Rush and Newsman Bill Kurtis are standing by to take a crack at this "Cold Case".) Clearly, 1969 is still with us in a VERY big way!!! (kk)
The full story (as reported by CNN) can be found here:
Click here: Police review death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones - CNN.com

re: HURRICANE CAMILLE:
How about a couple of news clips from exactly 40 years ago? Most of us don't remember that after Hurricane Camille smacked the Gulf Coast, the aftermath caused major flooding in Virginia.
David Lewis
After just "celebrating" (?) the four year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, people sometimes forget just how devastating Camille really was ... some of Camille's statistics will absolutely "blow you away"!!!
As much as the rain has been played up as a major factor during the Woodstock Festival, it truly pales in comparison to the devastation and havoc caused by Hurricane Camille. (Ironically, BOTH events took place the same weekend back in August of 1969 ... could the impact of Camille's fury have had anything to do with the amount of rain they were experiencing up New York way???)
The worst part about Camille's run was the fact that The National Hurricane Center in Miami was unable to accurately predict the hurricane's path of destruction. It was first believed that the tropical storm would hit hardest in Florida ... then, after a change of course, New Orleans ... when in reality the most devastating damage was experienced in Biloxi, Mississippi. By this time, many of the WRONG areas had already been evacuated. When it came time to evacuate Mississippi, it was almost too late.
Here are some unbelievable statistics as published in Rob Kirkpatrick's new book "1969: The Year Everything Changed":
The storm was born on Thursday, August 15 ... but the following day, it had already passed through Cuba, where winds were recorded at up to 115 miles per hour. At this point, Camille was headed toward The Gulf Coast and on Saturday, August 17th, a hurricane watch was put into effect from the northwestern coast of Florida, from Fort Walton to St. Marks, and as far west as Biloxi, Mississippi. For a brief moment, it was believed that the storm was losing its intensity ... when, in fact, exactly the opposite was the case. In reality, the storm seemed to stop in The Gulf Of Mexico ... but while it was their, its winds intensified to about 150 miles per hour. By Sunday Morning, the storm was on the move again, and now seemed to be headed straight for New Orleans. (At this point, Camille was about 310 miles due south of Pensacola, Florida, and moving northwest. Experts believed, due to what Kirkpatrick described as "conventional wisdom", that she would soon steer eastward and land somewhere on the Florida panhandle early Sunday Night. However, on Sunday, NEW hurricane watches were issued for Mobile, Alabama, which now was believed to be the new point of impact.)
By Sunday afternoon, an airplane that ventured into Camille's path computed its wind speed to be 190 miles per hour! The pilot described the wind velocity as "far beyond the descriptions used in our training." Camille was not only growing stronger but she was also moving faster ... and not veering eastward as experts had predicted. She now appeared to be headed for Gulfport, Mississippi.
Kirkpatrick writes, "After a hurricane advisory was issued for the Gulf Coast from Gulfport, Mississippi to Pensacola, Florida, residents began an exodus in search of safer locales inland. Around the same time as the warning, an eighteen-wheeler capsized on Route 49 in Gulfport, blocking one of the three main roadways inland. Instead of stopping traffic altogether to allow for the removal of the wreckage, authorities decided it more prudent to leave the vehicle where it was and allow motorists to drive around it. Traffic jammed up even worse as residents and workers lined up to evacuate the region."
Now listen to this!!! "Under normal conditions, the Mississippi River dumps two billion cubic feet of water per hour into the Gulf of Mexico. But on the night of August 17th, the waters of the Mississippi met a greater force in the Camille storm surge. As the waters from the Gulf of Mexico rose sixteen feet higher than the Mississippi, huge whirlpools formed at the mouth of the delta ... and then the unthinkable happened ... the waters of America's 'Big River' began to run BACKWARDS!!! As far as 120 river miles ... from the mouth of the Mississippi to Carrollton, Louisiana ... the currents were running Northward." The storm was now literally defying the natural laws of physics!!!
Camille finally made landfall at approximately 11:30 PM Sunday Night at Bay St. Louis in Hancock County, Mississippi. She hit the mainland with the highest storm surge ever recorded on U.S. Coastland. Reports filed at the time indicate that the water rose to within the third floor of apartment buildings, meaning the surge had now risen to twenty-eight feet above sea level!
"Meteorologists concluded that just before landfall, Camille's winds had reached a record speed of 201 miles per hour. Boats were washed inland and collided with houses. The areas of Clermont Harbor, Lakeshore, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport Beach and Biloxi were decimated."
All or part of twenty six counties in Mississippi, two in Alabama and nine parishes in Louisiana were all declared disaster areas. In Mississippi and Alabama alone 3868 homes were destroyed and 42,092 were damaged. (I believe I just heard this past weekend that Hurricane Katrina destroyed or damaged something like 35,000 homes in New Orleans four years ago.) Camille next moved north to Tennessee, then into Kentucky, then across the southern tip of West Virginia and through Virginia before heading back out into the Atlantic Ocean. It left 256 people dead in the receding waters and a total damage of more than $1.4 billion (in 1969 dollars).

re: BASEBALL:
Kent,
Like you, I am a huge baseball and music fan. I have been a SF Giants fan since 1962, after watching the Dodgers - Giants 3 game playoff, and attending game six of the Yankees - Giants World Series. I got Joe DiMaggio's autograph, but had no idea who he was, and lost it by the time I got home.
I remember well, the Cubs and the Mets that year, the first year of division play. The Giants had finished second to the Cardinals the prior two years, and they were in the East. The Giants finished second again (West) to the Braves.
Dwight Rounds
Like the song says, most of us "root, root, root for the home team" and "if they don't win, it's a shame" ... but here in Chicago in 1969, The Cubs DID win ... the greatest percentage of the time ... (well, in hindsight, the SECOND greatest percentage of the time) ... and the club truly did deserve better ... but it was The Mets' year and they sure made baseball exciting for the last six weeks of the season! (kk)

re: SQUEAKY FROMME:
Speaking of Squeaky Fromme, did you happen to catch the bit that David Letterman did after she was released on parole?
David Lewis


This is GREAT!!! Thanks so much for sharing with us! (kk)

re: TEDDY KENNEDY:
Thanks for your realistic commentary on Kennedy. He is portrayed in the media as a statesman. All he did was try to take other people's money to help the poor (after 70% for administration). I know of nothing he did personally to help anyone less fortunate. I don't think he ever worked a day in his life.
Other accomplishments -
1. He was caught cheating at Harvard when he attended it. He was expelled twice, once for cheating on a test, and once for paying a classmate to cheat for him.
2. While expelled, Kennedy enlisted in the Army, but mistakenly signed up for four years instead of two. Oops! The man can't count to four! His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to England (a step up from bootlegging liquor into the US from Canada during prohibition), pulled the necessary strings to have his enlistment shortened to two years, and to ensure that he served in Europe, not Korea , where a war was raging. No preferential treatment for him! (like he charged that President Bush received).
3. Kennedy was assigned to Paris, never advanced beyond the rank of Private, and returned to Harvard upon being discharged. Imagine a person of his "education" NEVER advancing past the rank of Private!
4. While attending law school at the University of Virginia, he was cited for reckless driving four times, including once when he was clocked driving 90 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood with his headlights off after dark. Yet his Virginia driver's license was never revoked. Coincidentally, he passed the bar exam in 1959. Amazing!
5. In 1964, he was seriously injured in a plane crash, and hospitalized for several months. Test results done by the hospital at the time he was admitted had shown he was legally intoxicated. The results of those tests remained a "state secret" until in the 1980's when the report was unsealed. Didn't hear about that from the unbiased media, did we?
8. Kennedy held his Senate seat for more than forty years, but considering his longevity, his accomplishments seem scant. He authored or argued for legislation that ensured a variety of civil rights, increased the minimum wage in 1981, made access to health care easier for the indigent, and funded Meals on Wheels for fixed-income seniors and is widely held as the "standard-bearer for liberalism". In his very first Senate roll, he was the floor manager for the bill that turned U.S. immigration policy upside down and opened the floodgate for immigrants from third world countries.
9. Since that time, he has been the prime instigator and author of every expansion of an increase in immigration, up to and including the latest attempt to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. Not to mention the pious grilling he gave the last two Supreme Court nominees, as if he was the standard bearer for the nation in matters of "what's right". What a pompous ass!
10. He is known around Washington as a public drunk, loud, boisterous and very disrespectful to ladies. JERK is a better description than "great American". "A blonde in every pond" is his motto.
Dwight Rounds
Far be it from me to speak ill of the dead ... in fact, Frannie and I watched some of the memorial service for Kennedy over the weekend and some of it was quite touching ... but Teddy SURE seemed to have received some pretty preferential treatment over the years ... but honestly, this just seems to be the Kennedy way. NONE of these guys ... immediate family, children, cousins, whomever ... have EVER really been held accountable for any wrong that they've done ... and their "accomplishments" have been built up to what some might consider "folklore" proportions. That Edward Kennedy was allowed to have ANY sort of public, political career at ALL after the Chappaquiddick incident is beyond my comprehension ... and sadly the TRUE events of that day have forever been buried with the bodies of Mary Jo Kopechne and now Teddy himself.
Again quoting from Rob Kirkpatrick's book "1969: The Year Everything Changed" ... a MUST read for anybody who enjoyed our 1969 Series ...
Sometime very late Friday night or early Saturday morning, Ray LaRosa had been sitting on the front porch of the cottage when he'd seen a lone figure approaching in the dark. He heard Kennedy's voice telling him to get Markham and Gargan. (All three of these men were Kennedy aides who were staying with him at Cape Cod. kk) La Rosa went in to fetch the two men, who went outside to meet Kennedy. "There's been a terrible accident," the senator told them. "The car's gone off the bridge down by the beach, and Mary Jo is in it."
They got in a car and quickly drove out to Dyke Bridge. When they arrived, the headlights of their car shone on the underside of Kennedy's Delmont 88, which lay upside down in the saltwater currents of Poucha Pond, about ten feet to the right of the bridge. Markham said, "Holy God."
"I realized if Mary Jo was in that car, there was no hope," Gargan said later. "I said to myself, 'Oh shit, this is over! This is done. She's gone.'"
The three men got out of the car. Gargan and Markham undressed and made their way out to the submerged car. They tried in vain to locate Kopechne in the dark waters. The current threatened to carry them away from the car, and at one point, Gargan says, he got trapped inside the car and almost drowned. He later remembered looking up and seeing Kennedy laying on the bridge on his back, his hands clasped behind his head, his knees draw to him, saying aloud, "Oh, my God. What am I going to do?"
Gargan and Marham gave up their search, and the three drove to the ferry landing. Gargan insisted that they needed to report the accident. Kennedy, he says, told him, "All right, all right, Joey! I'm tired of listening to you. I'll take care of it. You go back; don't upset the girls. Don't get them involved." With that, Kennedy dove into the Sound and began swimming toward the mainland.
"I hope he drowns, the son of a bitch!" Gargan said.
So even Kennedy's closest aides couldn't believe the way Kennedy had chosen to deal with this crisis. In fact, with a car available to the three men, one cannot help but wonder why Teddy dove into the water and SWAM back to the house!!! (To solidfy his personal "rescue mission" perhaps???) As I mentioned in our original piece, Kennedy settled with the Kopechne family financially shortly thereafter and we really haven't heard much from them at all these past forty years. A shame, 'though, that their young 28 year old daughter lost her life that night as a direct result of Kennedy's negligence yet HE was able to still complete a very public, high-profile career in politics. Much has been said about how the incident forever ended his chances for the Presidency ... in MY mind, he should have spent the majority of that time behind bars!!! (kk)


Hi KK:
This is one I can't pass without comment.
About Senator Kennedy's death ...
I think kicking him around about Chappaquiddick at this point is about as useful as stoning a dead horse. God is well aware and we know that Kennedy had his day in court, in the media and in his own conscience. If there were more reasons and actionable evidence to back it up, other legal options were easily available at the time for the prosecuting attornies ...
Respectfully acknowledging any bad things done, if we're typing about crimes of magnitude and politicians whose behavior causes innocent people to die, I'm comfortable arguing that EMK was a speck in the wind compared to some of the other usual suspects by the Potomac. I know there are a lot of good demonstrated things to say about the guy. If you want a good starter, here's just a "little" one. After 9/11 to pay his respects, he personally called every surviving family of victims who lived in Massachusetts. Class.
Best Regards!
JBK
Yes, you can turn me on! I'm on the radio! Surf City Sounds Plus: http://www.Live365.com/stations/johns805?play
They always say that you should never discuss religion or politics ... and Forgotten Hits is, after all, a MUSIC publication first and foremost ... the whole Kennedy thing only came up because it was a MAJOR news story of 1969 ... and, quite honestly, politics has little if anything to do with it.
However, I must address one of your comments above ... Edward Kennedy did NOT have his day in court ... NO charges were ever filed against the Senator. Instead, Kennedy plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident ... and that was it. When he called a national press conference to address the evening's events and apologize to the nation (and Mary Jo's family) ... a great PR move as a means to show that he, too, was a victim here who could have also perished in the crash ... he was COMPLETELY let off the hook and never faced ANY type of criminal charges. In fact, his little speech was SO effective that the next day The Washington Post would write: "We suspect he will suffer enough in any case ... this man who has already suffered the loss of an eldest brother, shot down in a war, a sister killed in a plane cras, and two brothers murdered by assassins."
Forgetting right or wrong for the moment ... and dealing ONLY with preferential treatment ... I guess I would ask how these past personal circumstances would absolve him of his OWN guilt in this instance. I mean, a young woman DIED due to his negligence! I guess I would ask you how you think YOU would have been treated by the courts had YOU been the one driving the car that evening, going off the bridge into the water and having your female companion drown. I wonder how YOUR life might have changed had you experienced these same set of circumstances. That's not a political commentary ... not by ANY stretch of the imagination. That's simply a case of what's right and what's wrong. Reckless homicide? Never mentioned. Involuntary manslaughter? The subject never came up. And, as I stated earlier, after nine hours had passed, you couldn't even test Kennedy for sobriety ... if he HAD been drinking (and odds are he had been), he'd already slept it off by the time he went and told anybody about the accident! So there weren't even DUI charges discused. I cannot help but wonder: What do you think YOUR penalty would have been under the same circumstances?
Quoting Time Magazine: "Forty years later, the question people asked in the immediate wake of the tragedy that blotted the character and career of Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy remains germane: What was he thinking? Here are the facts of the case, as Time first reported them: Kennedy's career was threatened not by a violent enemy or a political foe, but by a scandal that revealed a shocking lapse of judgement and control. Kennedy's lost night on Chappaquiddick Island off Martha's Vineyard and the mystifying week that followed brought back all the old doubts about his character. For approximately nine hours after the car he was driving plunged from Dike Bridge into Poucha Pond, carrying his only passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year old aide in Kennedy-family political campaigns, to a death by drowining, Kennedy failed to notify police. After his first brief and inadequate statement at the station house, his silence allowed time for both honest questions and scurrilous gossip to swirl around his reputation and future.
"Days after the July 18 accident Kennedy withdrew his initial opposition to misdemeanor proceedings against him and pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident. That night on national TV, he told his version of the events, assuming full responsiblity for his failure to report the incident. 'I was overcome,' the Senator said, by 'grief, fear, doubt, exhaustion, panic, confusion and shock.' He was never punished by the courts for his deed. Kopechne's family is reported to have received an undisclosed sum of money as settlement from the Senator's family.
Forgiven by Mary Jo's family, I cannot help but wonder (to paraphrase Crosby, Stills and Nash, ALSO huge in 1969) "the cost of freedom." How much did Kennedy pay to win their silence and forgiveness? Again, I cannot help but wonder how intensely they might have pursued someone else in this instance, had YOU, for example, been driving that car.
Did Kennedy go on to serve a distinguished career in the Senate. Yes, he did. Would America have been cheated out of his policies and wisdom had he been locked up forty years ago? Most likely so. Was he treated fair and square, just like any OTHER U.S. citizen under the same circumstances? Not even close!!! (kk)


re: THE MUSIC OF 1969:
1969 was a GREAT year for our New Colony 6! Did you ever notice that almost every Christmas in 1965-72 era that this group seemed to be charting with a very special song?
12/1965: I Confess,
12/66: Love You So Much,
12/68: Things I'd Like to Say,
12/69: Barbara I Love You,
12/71: Long Time to be Alone,
12/72: Never Be Lonely
Think about it! Pretty amazing, I think, that every Christmas time, there were the NC6 to fill the stockings!! Had "Treat Her Groovy" taken off like Mercury Records thought, that would have covered 1967 (it fell off WLS in late Nov. 67) and had the six issued "Muddy Feet" as a followup to "Close Your Eyes Little Girl", it could have covered 1970 too!
The Buckinghams had a mini-version with 12/66: Kind of a Drag,
12/67: Susan and
12/68: Where Did You Come From.
The Cryan Shames only had I Wanna Meet You / We Could be Happy still barely selling in 12/66, but "A Scratch in the Sky" was just out for Christmas, 1967.
SO, 1969 was a banner year for the NC6 and, thus, for my ears too! Four GREAT singles: "Things I'd Like to Say," "I Could Never Lie to You," "I Want You to Know" and "Barbara, I Love You" (which I then rated my #1 record of the year).
On the local Chicago radio scene in early 69, Barney Pip was still doing his live remotes from the Cheetah! Club in Chicago. In an effort to go with a younger DJ lineup to combat the "young" themed WCFL, WLS moved old fave Ron Riley to later night to make room for Chuck Buell in the early evening following Larry Lujack, who was now playing a vague rendition of the survey countdown in the afternoons. It was no longer the strict regimented Dex Card countdown show of two years previous. Personally, I was still playing my reel to reel taping of the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog" and "It's All Too Much" from November, 1968, when Ron Riley played them as "WLS Exclusives" that would never available to the public until February, 1969. Speaking of the fabs, "The White Album" (not called that at the time) was getting considerable play in early 69. Many do not realize that non-45 LP tracks were not heard much on AM, but most stations did program "something" off the double Lp set. I taped San Antonio's 50000 watt juggernaut playing "Rocky Raccoon", WLS playing the expected "Back in the USSR" and "Birthday" and I caught Ron Kingbee Britain at CFL going out on a limb with "Yer Blues"!!
Chicago music of 69 by debut:
January: Things I'd Like to Say (NC6), Keep the Faith - American Breed, Soulful Strut - Young Holt Unlimited, Where Did You Come From - Buckinghams
February: First Strain to California - Cryan Shames
March: Who's Making Love - Young Holt Unlimited, Only the Strong Survive - Jerry Butler, Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis,
April: Hunky Funky - American Breed, This Is How Much I Love You - Buckinghams, I Could Never Lie to You - NC6
May: Moody Woman - Jerry Butler
July: Choice of Colors - Impressions, Room At The Top - American Breed, Questions 67 & 68 - Chicago, Straight Ahead - Young Holt Unlimited
August: Let Me Be The Man My Daddy Was - Chi Lites, All The Waiting Is Not In Vain - Tyrone Davis, I Want You To Know - NC6, What's The Use Of Breakin' Up - Jerry Butler, It's A Beautiful Day - Buckinghams
October: Cool It - American Breed, Strange - Aorta, Rainmaker - Cryan Shames
November: To Change My Love - Chi Lites, Barbara I Love You - NC6 (my #1 song of 69)
December: Beginnings - Chicago, Want You To Know - Rotary Connection
In 1969, I loved TOP 40 music! I loved rock, ballads, country and all that was Top 40 then! Great MOR or ballads of 69 chronologically:
Wichita Lineman, Scarborough Fair (Mendes), Games People Play, If I Only Had Time - Nick DeCaro, Maybe Tomorrow - Iveys, The Letter - Arbors, Galveston, These Eyes, When You Dance - Jay & Americans, We Can't Go On This Way - Unchained Mynds, Carolina In My Mind - James Taylor, Welcome Me Love - Brooklyn Bridge, Morning Girl - Neon Philharmonic, Where's The Playground Susie - Glen Campbell, Someday Man - Monkees, Never Comes The Day - Moodies, Sometimes In Winter - BS&T, Imagine the Swan - Zombies, Mannix - Lalo Schifrin, I Can't Quit Her - Arbors, Hurt So Bad - Lettermen, First Hymn from the Grand Terrace - Mark Lindsay, True Grit - Glen Campbell, Can't Find The Time - Orpheus, This Girl Is A Woman Now - Gary Puckett, No One For Me To Turn To - Spiral Staircase, Mah-Na Mah-Na - Soundtrack, Colour of My Love - Jefferson, Raindrops ... - BJ Thomas, Sunlight - Youngbloods, Midnight - Classics IV, I Guess the Lord Must Be in NYC - Nilsson, He Ain't Heavy - Hollies, Midnight Cowboy - John Barry (45 version), She Belongs To Me - Rick Nelson, She's Ready - Spiral Staircase, Arizona - Mark Lindsay, Groovin - Newbeats, Walkin in the Rain - Jay & Americans, Mornin Mornin - Bobby Goldsboro, She Lets Her hair Down -Tokens, Baby Take Me In Your Arms - Jefferson
Great pop rock / psychedelic of 69 chronologically: Come on React - Fireballs, Hooked on a Feeling, I Put a Spell On You - Spirit, California Soul - 5th Dimension, Time of the Season - Zombies, Long Green - Fireballs (then, my #2 song for the year!), Hot Smoke & Sassafras - Bubble Puppy, Soul Experience - Iron Butterfly, Apricot Brandy - Rhinoceros, Brother Love's Travelin Salvation Show - Neil Diamond, Goodbye Columbus - Association, Will You Be Staying After Sunday - Peppermint Rainbow, Kick Out the Jams - MC5, Good Times, Bad Times - Led Zep, Badge - Cream, Sorry Suzanne - Hollies, Don't Let Me Down - Beatles, Medicine Man - Buchanan Bros, More & More - BS&T, See - Rascals, Listen to the Band - Monkees, Good Morning Starshine - Oliver, Breakaway - Beach Boys, The Minotaur - Dick Hyman, I'd Wait a Million Years - Grass Roots, I'm Free - Who, Commotion - CCR, Muddy River - Johnny Rivers, You I - Rugbys, White Bird - It's a Beautiful Day, Evil Woman - Crow, Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman, Celebrate - Three Dog Night, Heaven Knows - Grass Roots, Jongo - Santana, Some of Shelley's Blues - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Time Machine - Grand Funk Railroad, Venus - Shocking Blue, Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin, She - T James, Why Should I Cry - Gentrys, No Time - Guess Who, Vicoria - Kinks, Wonderful World, Beautiful People - Jimmy Cliff
Best Bubblegum of 69 chronologically: Bubblegum Music - Double Bubble Trading etc, Rainbow Ride - Andy Kim, Goody Goody Gumdrops - 1910 Fruitgum Co, Feelin So Good - Archies, Hair - Cowsills, Teardrop City - Monkees, Stay & Love Me All Summer - Brian Hyland, Abergavenny - Shannon, I'm Gonna Make You Mine - Lou Christie, The Train - 1910 FC, Sausolito - Ohio Express, Make Believe - Wind, Tracy - Cuff Links, Jam Up And Jelly Tight - Tommy Roe, Cowboy Convention - Ohio Express
Best R&B / Soul / Gospel of 69 chronologically: I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye, Everyday People, Hang 'em High - Booker T, 25 Miles - Edwin Starr, Time is Tight - Booker T, Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins, Too Busy Thinkin - Marvin Gaye, Black Pearl - Checkmates, But It's Alright - JJ Jackson, That's the Way God Planned It - Billy Preston, Your Good Thing - Lou Rawls, When I Die - Motherlode, Turn On a Dream - Box Tops, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - Joe Cocker
Best LP cuts of 69 chronologically: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Sweet Girl of Mine - Cryan Shames, Well All Right - Blind Faith, Carry That Weight - Beatles, Out in the Cold Again - Gary Puckett, Midnight Rambler - Stones
Best obscure 45s of 1969 chronologically: Heart Teaser - Flavor, Beautiful Sun - Peppermint Trolley co, Softly, Softly - Equals, Paxton Quigley's Had the Course - Chad & Jeremy, Honey Do - Strangeloves, Laughin Lady - Parade, Light of Love - Pleasure Seekers, Blackberry Way - Move, 24 Hours of Loneliness - Classics IV, Something's Happening - Herman's Hermits, Heaven Help You - Montanas, Rainbow Valley - Love Affair, I Know You - MC2, Summer Skies - Higher Elevation, Don Juan - Dave Dee, etc, I Shall Be Released - Tremeloes, Love Story - Jethro Tull, Hello World - Tremeloes, One Road - Love Affair, Ulla - People, And She's Mine - Spanky & Our Gang, Green Door - Jerms, Knock on Wood - Harper's Bizarre, Time To Make a Turn - Crow, Yes I Will - Association, I Can Remember - Peter & Gordon, For Pete's Sake - Sweetwater, I Am The World - Bee Gees, Rain-Jose Feliciano, Space Oddity - David Bowie, Living in the Past- Jethro Tull (First time around), Love & Let Love - Hardy Boys, If There Ever Was a Time - Lighthouse, C'Mon Everybody - NRBQ, Moment of Madness - Flowerpot Men, Why Need They Pretend - Lewis & Clarke, The Drifter - Steve Lawrence, Baby You Come Rollin Cross My Mind - John Beland, Superman - Clique, Natural Born Woman - Humble Pie, Bringing on Back the Good Times - Love Affair, Baby Make It Soon - Marmalade, Save the Country - Sugar Shoppe, Wasn't Born to Follow - Byrds, Tears of Joy - Real Thing, Just With You - Chakras, Watch Her Walk - Affection Collection
-- Clark Besch
Thanks, Clark. Our look back at the Music of 1969 will wrap up our '69 Salute later this week ... including an official countdown of The Top 50 Songs From The Summer of '69 ... which we're still hoping Y103.9 may pick up for their Labor Day / "Last Blast Of Summer" Weekend! (kk)

Hey Kent:
These were basically my Top 5 records from 1969 at the time:
Honky Tonk Women - Stones
Badge - Cream
Hot Smoke & Sasafrass - Bubble Puppy
Good Morning Starshine - Oliver
Proud Mary - CCR
Guess I'll also put down my top faves from summer of '69. Some of these start in Spring so I'll list a total of 10.
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Something In The Air - Thunderclap Newman
One - 3 Dog Night
Did You See Her Eyes - Illusion
You I - Rugbys
Adding my 2 cents to 1969
Ken
Some good titles here ... quite of few of which we've covered before in Forgotten Hits. (kk)

Watch for our look back at The Music of 1969 ... coming up later this week in Forgotten Hits!

Some Comments ... And A Special Announcement

We've got some more of your recent comments to feature today ... but first, a VERY special announcement for all of our local Chicagoland readers ... along with an opportunity for you to join us for a VERY special screening of the Rock And Roll Radio Documentary "Airplay". Read On!!!

re: AIRPLAY:
Here are the latest details about the Chicago-area screening of the new Carolyn Travis film "Airplay" that we've been telling you so much about for the past year or so!
The film is going to shown at The Music Box Theater -- 3733 N. Southport Avenue -- here in Chicago on September 18th at 9:30 PM. This is the ONLY local showing scheduled at this time ... and we will have a limited number of free passes to give away to some of our local Forgotten Hits Readers. If you are interested in attending this special showing of this VERY special film, drop me a line and we'll put your name on the list. (Number of entries will determine just how many tickets we will have to give away, so PLEASE ... ONLY enter if you will be available to ATTEND this screening ... we don't want to deny anybody the opportunity to see this excellent documentary because of a few "no shows"!!!) WLS-FM / The True Oldies Channel will ALSO be promoting this screening and giving away free tickets so you'll have another chance to win free passes there. (Our original hope was to have Dick Biondi onboard that night for this very special presentation but it turns out that he'll be on vacation that week! However, I just received word that legendary WLS Jock Clark Weber WILL be there ... and, hopefully, we can even get him to stick around for a little Q & A after the show!) Obviously, you can also purchase tickets at the theater box office that evening and still get in on all the fun ... and, if you're a fan of rock and roll radio, this IS a film you'll want to see!
"Airplay" takes a look back at The History of Rock And Roll Radio ... the early years with jocks like Alan Freed, the Top 40 years and the growth of some of the mega-watt AM giants, the beginning of FM radio and the "underground" movement right on up to satellite radio today ... with lots of great music, clips and interviews with some of the premier jocks of this era squeezed in between! A fun and informative film for ANY fan of radio.
But you've got to act fast!!! If you'd like to attend this special screening, just drop me an email at forgottenhits@aol.com and write AIRPLAY SCREENING in the subject line ... and let us know how to get ahold of you if you'd like to attend the very special event. We'll tally up the number of entries received and then contact you with all the details if you're one of our ticket winners. (Tickets will most likely be left at the the "Will Call" window in the theater's box office ... but we're also talking about having a Forgotten Hits Dinner Get-Together BEFORE the show ... this would be a GREAT chance to meet some of the readers on our list!) First come, first served, so PLEASE get your entries in early!

re: SPEAKING OF RADIO ... :
Here's an interesting appeal put together by Sam Lyt of Hi Lyt Radio and Big Jay Sorensen ...
KK,
I will likely be sending you some fab news soon about MY career. (I'm still involved with WCBS-FM in NYC, BTW.) One thing I can say is I'm joining Sam Lit and his team at HyLitTechnologies.

www.hylitradio.com. I will be providing content for some very exciting upcoming things from that camp. I can't say exactly what I'll be doing just yet, but in the early fall, expect to be blown away. And it WILL be oldies related in a BIG way ... as only Big Jay can do it.
If I may, can I put out a note for all of your readers?
We need a SALES TEAM for Hy LIt Technologies that totally gets NEW MEDIA. If you've sold RADIO in the past, and kept seeing that it was getting harder and harder to sell local and even big city radio, because MORE advertisers and agencies were putting spots and ads on INTERNET facilities, then there may be a position for you.We are looking for people who EMBRACE the internet and embrace NEW ideas. The old business model ain't broke yet, but when virtually EVERY broadcast company has shown a DIRECT hit on their revenues this and last year, something is amiss. What WE'RE doing NOW and will do in the near future will be cutting edge, with some NEW emerging technologies that will help make the transition from broadcast to internet for advertisers a very good fit.
Sales Managers, you can apply too. ALSO ... if you've sold TV / CABLE or any NEW MEDIA before, that's a plus. This ain't your father's radio. This IS the future and it is here NOW.
Send RESUMES and describe your understanding of NEW MEDIA and how it needs to be sold to clients. We are out to make NOISE. Get in BEFORE this explodes into something magnificent.
Get in touch with either ME at www.bigjay66@comcast.net, or SamLit@HyLitRadio.com
Thanks Kent ...
BE BIG!
Big Jay Sorensen
BE BIG!
Jay
www.bigjayandanita.com
Hey, I'm always happy to pass along ANYTHING that'll make radio sound new and exciting again!!! Please keep us posted. Thanks, Jay! And good luck, Sam, with this new venture! (kk)

And (although we've been sworn to secrecy!!!) we've heard rumblings of a few OTHER brand new Oldies Music Ventures that may be right around the listening corner. Meanwhile, here's the latest on Hit Parade Radio:
Hit Parade Radio Launches Oldies Network, Repped By RASS
EARTHWORKS ENTERTAINMENT's HIT PARADE RADIO is set to launch its 24/7 Oldies Radio Network format via satellite in the next four to six weeks. HIT PARADE RADIO has also entered into an agreement with SCOTT GILREATH's RADIO AFFILIATE SERVICES & SYNDICATION (RASS) that includes affiliate sales and national advertising sales. Regarding the Oldies format launch, EARTHWORK ENTERTAINMENT CEO STEVEN HUMPHRIES said, "It's been months in the making and we're about ready to launch the most exciting oldies radio format in the USA. With super-talent like LARRY LUJACK and WINK MARTINDALE plus the music you don't hear anywhere else, the format will be a major attraction to radio stations as they continue to downsize and cut back on programming cost." "In all my years of programming, this is the most exciting project I've ever worked on," HIT PARADE RADIO Pres. JOHN ROOK added. "The first class talent and the incredible library of music that you won't hear on other 'oldies' stations make for a huge winning combination. I'm pleased to be once again working with LARRY LUJACK and WINK MARTINDALE, as they truly enhance the music programming we are offering." "With all the projects that we have in EARTHWORKS, HIT PARADE will be one of the first to generate revenue as we move into the first quarter of next year," HUMPHRIES said. "We expect to generate in excess of $2 million in advertising sales for the network in 2010." At the same time, RASS has pacted with HIT PARADE RADIO to do affiliate sales and national advertising sales. "Having the opportunity to work with STEVE and JOHN ROOK on this venture is truly exciting," RASS Pres. SCOTT GILREATH said. "Like so many others, my radio career was molded by jocks like LARRY LUJACK and WINK MARTINDALE. I can't wait to start signing affiliates ... We feel the project growth of the HPR network is unlimited as the formats target the highly neglected 45+ market."
Scott Gilreath
President
RADIO AFFILIATE SERVICES & SYNDICATION, LLC
Green Bay, WI

>>>The Hit Parade Radio Network will be programming music not only for this generation of listeners but also every generation that came after. Why, there are over 70 million Americans over the age of 50 - that's 28% of our entire population! No, you won't hear very much music from the '80's on our station - and we won't be concentrating on hard rock - there are already other stations that play that music. What you WILL hear in music that appeals to listeners at the age of 35, 45, 55, 65 and 75 - and that encompasses a LOT of music that hasn't been played on the radio in a long, long time. (John Rook / Hit Parade Radio)

I like the idea of playing music that hasn't been played on the radio in a long time. But I still think they are spreading themselves too thin, like the other stations. I would be changing the station when a song comes on that appeals to the 35 and 45 year old listeners, and I think a lot of those listeners will be changing the station when something comes on that appeals to the 55, 65, and 75 year olds. It seems to me that 70 million Americans over the age of 50 are enough to have a station dedicated to programming what they like to hear. That's a lot of listeners for the makers of Geritol, Centrum Silver, and Depends to advertise to. Rich
Unfortunately, that's EXACTLY why this brand of "oldies radio" hasn't worked in the past. 55, 65 and 75 year olds buy a HELL of a lot more than Geritol, Centrum Silver and Depends ... and have the disposable income to do so ... yet THESE are the types of products that radio typically panders to them. (Boy, talk about your seriously politically-incorrect stereotypes!!!) Quite honestly, THAT type of advertising (along with the usual "do you have urinary problems" and "stay hard" pills) is what turns this generation off ... even if they NEED some of this stuff, they don't need to be told about it ... they're already buying it on their own!!! More and more I'm starting to appreciate Mason Ramsey's idea of "Music For The Ages" ... the concept that music from the 1940's right on up through today CAN be played side-by-side, as long as it's GOOD music. Let's face it, most of us grew up being exposed to all these different musical genres anyway ... and we all enjoy different aspects of ALL of it. It goes back to the Ipod mentality ... what 10,000 songs would you program on your Ipod? It wouldn't be all ONE kind of music because you'd eventually get tired of hearing that, too. I've never understood why a radio station limits its library to a couple hundred songs ... when it doesn't cost ANY more to program a few thousand. Let's face it, nowadays the computer is doing all the work anyway!!! I'm still working on what I'm calling "The Ultimate Playlist" ... when I'm done, it will probably be somewhere around 7000 songs, each and every one of them songs that people WANT to hear ... or would ENJOY hearing if only given a chance. This list would then be tiered into rotation ... some will play once a week (rather than three or four times a DAY!!!) ... and some will only play once or twice a year ... but in between you'll hear more variety than has EVER existed in radio before. In my mind, it's a programming concept that will blow the lid off ANYTHING you've ever seen before in radio ... and you can't even call it Oldies Radio anymore because it truely IS "timeless" music. More details to come ... along with some other hot new radio announcements that we're currently not allowed to talk about!!! (kk)

Meanwhile, speaking of oldies radio ... and those demographics that seem to have been permanently deemed as both "favorably desirable" and "completely ignored" ... here's a cool little piece shared with us by Clark Weber:

re: THE PLAIN AND SIMPLE FACTS ABOUT DEMOGRAPHICS:
Hi Kent;
It’s funny but it’s factual!
Clark Weber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQkMAPVoIo

lol ... now I think John Rook should consider hiring Craig Ferguson as one of the spokesmen for Hit Parade Radio!!! HE'LL get the point across!!! (lol) kk

re: THE BEATLES:

And, speaking of Hy Lit Radio, Sam Lit has put together a VERY nice website tribute to The Beatles' first visit to Philadelphia 45 years ago ... you can check it all out here:

Hi Kent,
Here’s something for you, in advance of my newsletter next week. Next week is the 45th anniversary of the Beatles first coming to Philadelphia. Click here.
Sam Lit
President / CEO
Hy Lit Radio Technologies, Inc.
www.HyLit.com
Very nicely done, Sam ... fans of The Fab Four should check this out!!! (kk)

And it sounds like ALL of Philly may be celebrating this very special anniversary of The Beatles' first visit to Philadelphia ... I just got this from Charlie Gracie, Jr.:

REMEMBERING BEATLES' FIRST PHILLY SHOW:
September 2nd, 1964 at Convention Hall
at the WORLD CAFE: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
SPECIAL PUBLIC EVENT!
CHARLIE GRACIE -- Philly's very first rock 'n' roll star -- often credited by PAUL McCARTNEY and the late GEORGE HARRISON, joins WXPN's HELEN LEICHT (host), DENNY SOMACH (radio host / author: "Meet The Beatles Again") and LARRY KANE (tv - radio jounaliast / author: "Lennon Revealed", who also traveled with the FAB-4 early on) ... ALL OF WHOM will particpate in an evening of nostalgic remembrance -- discussions, Q & A, rare and historic Beatles' footage, memorabilia, photos and a live set by musician JIM BOGGIA.
EVENT BEGINS: 7:00PM
INFO / CALL TO RESERVE: (215) 222-1400
Pic: Charlie with Sir Paul in London -- who covered one of Charlie's hits in 2000. George Harrison called Charlie's guitar technique: "brilliant!" in the March 9th, 1996 issue of BILLBOARD.

re: MARSHALL LYTLE:
KENT --
I SENT THIS OUT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND WE JUST WORKED WITH MARSHALL AND THE GUYS AT A BOWZER CONCERT IN CONNECTICUT AT THE MOHEGAN SUN. FEEL FREE TO USE IT -- AND THE PHOTO IF YOU WISH. WE LOVE YOU MARSHALL!!!!
Charlie Gracie, Jr and Family

***Marshall Lytle - original COMET'S upright bassist calls it quits: "time to move on."
Marshall Lytle - the animated upright-bassist for Bill Haley's Original Comets - sent out an announcement late on 8/17 declaring he was moving on from his 20-plus years with the band to pursue other options. Marshall has a book coming out later this year which covers his life as a musician, his stint with Haley and how he and the Comets rode the wave of the global rock 'n' roll revival.
Born in North Carolina in 1933, Lytle joined Bill Haley and the Saddlemen in 1951. It was he who played bass on the rock anthem: Rock Around The Clock and most recently: VIAGARA ROCK, a tune which gained popularity on Florida radio stations -- alluding to the ages of the Comets ... and the fact that "you're never too old to rock!" The Comets have proved that time and time again throughout the years. Lytle also mentioned the possibility of doing shows with CHARLIE GRACIE (seen in the photo attachment with Marshall at a recent Bowzer show: Mohegan Sun, CT.) and WANDA JACKSON -- both of whom continue to tour worldwide!

The other two original Comets - Joey Ambrose (sax) and Dick Richards (drums) will continue performing on the oldies circuit with new Comets -- namely in Branson, MO., where the band has taken up residence for the past two years. On personal note ... the Charlie Gracie family has great love for all these men and we wish them all the very best. Long may our friendship continue!
At the age of 15, Charlie Gracie saw Bill Haley and the Saddlemen perform in Quakertown, Pa., at the Sleepy Hollow Ranch ... a big outdoor picnic.
"I was a just a young, budding musician ... but it was on that day, after watching Bill and the guys that I decided I wanted to become a performer."
-- Charlie Gracie

Here's hoping that a few of our Forgotten Hits Readers were able to send along "Get Well Wishes" to Marshall after his recent surgery. What a long, distinguished musical career this man has had! (kk)

... and, speaking of sending along well wishes ...

re: LARRY KNETCHEL / ELLIE GREENWICH:
Kent,
Sad day. Many of you may know that Larry was on some of the 60's soundtracks along with Hal Blaine and Carol Kaye (including "The Glory Stompers" and "Devil's Angel's").
Speaking of "Devil's Angels", one of the tunes from that soundtrack is in Tarantino's new film. This was from a fan / friend on my forum:
Just got back from seeing INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and, wow, I must report that itsure was a HUGE KICK for me to hear Davie's "Devil's Rumble" in it!The Arrows tune blasts mightily from the soundtrack near the end, when Donowitzand Ulmer (two Jewish American GI's, disguised as Italian filmmakers) walk intothe auditorium where the big climax takes place.Very cool!-- Arrowhead Gregory

Really sad to hear about the passing of Larry Knechtel - truly one of the greats.
Greg
Yes, quite the consummate musician. As a HUGE fan of Bread back in the '70's, I was thrilled when he joined these other fine former studio musicians as part of the permanent band. (kk)

Kent ... I wasn’t planning to write tributes today for my friend and early co-writer, Ellie Greenwich or for one of my long time musical heroes, Larry Knechtel, but I couldn’t help myself! They both meant so much to me ... and to so many people.
This morning on the east coast they laid Ellie Greenwich to rest. http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/ellie-greenwich-r-i-p-rock-in-perpetuity/ while on the west coast they held the final services for Larry Knechtel. http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/larry-knechtel-r-i-p-rock-in-perpetuity/ . I wasn’t able to attend either service in person, but like many of you I was there in spirit! If you want to leave a comment or two, you may do so at the end of each article and I will see that their respective families receive copies.
Thanks and Regards,

Artie Wayne

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/

A GREAT opportunity for some of our readers ... and their many, many fans, to leave a message that Artie will pass along to their families. We encourage you to visit Artie's website and do so ... BOTH of these artists did SO much to enrich our lives. (kk)

And, it looks like you've still got a couple of days to share those thoughts ... Artie is sending in his final postings this Thursday.

Kent ... How ya' doin'? On Thursday I'll be sending the dozens and dozens of comments that have been coming in on my ROCK IN PERPETUITY tribute to Ellie Greenwich and Larry Knechtel, to their families. I've seldom seen such an out pouring of love as this for people behind the scenes in the music business.

If you'd like to join the friends, fans, and stars who have made comments about Ellie Greenwich, please visit: http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/ellie-greenwich-r-i-p-rock-in-perpetuity/

And for those who want to say something about Larry Knechtel http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/larry-knechtel-r-i-p-rock-in-perpetuity/

In the words of Alan O'Day and Johnny Stevenson, "If you believe in forever ... life is just a one night stand ... If there's a Rock n' Roll Heaven ... You know they've got a hell of a band!"

Respectfully,

Artie Wayne

BW photo taken at the BMI Awards dinner 1964 by POPSIE

L to R: Artie Ripp, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector, Paul Case, Ellie Greenwich, Jerry Leiber, and Ed Silvers.

Color photo of Larry Knechtel copyright 2009 by Patti Dahlstrom


re: LES PAUL:
I got a chance to see Les Paul, on one of Monday night Iridium gigs in NY, and meet him back in 2000. I got his autograph and shook his hand after the show, but pity, I didn’t have camera. Still, a nice experience.
Thanks, again --
Greg

re: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO DESI ARNAZ, JR.?:
Click here: Desi Arnaz Jr.
Click here: Welcome to Miss Amys, the Historic Boulder Theatre and the Boulder City Ballet Company.
Click here: Cinema Treasures Boulder Theatre
submitted by Allan 0318

Great Billy Hinsche stuff ... love the ‘LS surveys and music.
Greg

re: DAVY JONES:
Thanks for running my Davy Jones story and thanks for the plugs (music, not hair).
Greg

I hope Davy Jones includes this one - his very best - in his regular show.
I'll Be True To You ... from The Monkees' Second Album.
David Lewis
Although I've heard him do it before in some of The Monkees Reunion Shows, I haven't heard Davy perform this one in a while. Personally, I prefer The Hollies' original version ... back when the song was still called "Yes I Will". Although never a hit here in The States, it reached #9 in Great Britain back in 1965. (kk)

re: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE:
>>>Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I enjoy reading all the posts at Forgotten Oldies!! What a COOL site! I was really blown away by JBK Surf City Sounds Plus posting of that photo from Jefferson Airplane's 1969 concert in Grant Park. I was also at that concert but that is the ONLY photo I have ever seen from it. Keep up the great work, Kent! LONG LIVE FORGOTTEN OLDIES!! (Jim Blackwood / Palatine, Il)

>>>I seem to remember John also mentioning something along the lines that he had only ever seen one other photograph from this show ... so it was REALLY cool to be able to feature this one. I was just reading about THEIR Altamont experience ... with Marty Balin being bashed in the head when he jumped off the stage into Hell's Angels territory ... I guess the logic back then was that as long as you were up on the stage performing and entertaining, YOU were in control ... but once you LEAVE that stage, you're subject to the same rules as everybody else ... and that certainly was the night that Hell's Angels policed their turf ... even if it meant killing somebody!!! (kk)
Hi KK: Thanx to Jim Blackwood and Kent Kotal for their kind remarks about the Jefferson Airplane Chicago 1969 concert photo. It was hanging on the wall of a friend of someone posting on the 2400 Fulton St. message board. I want to ID this person who took the photo to give credit where it is due. There were hundreds of cameras in the crowd and photo coverage in the local papers, so I hope to discover more pix and pass them along in the future.A post script about Marty Balin and the Hells Angels: In the 40 years since Altamont, I've read that Balin has performed with the latter day Jefferson Starship in concerts at biker rallies. So I assume all is well now that they all kissed and made up? (LOL!) Stay tuned!JBK aka ... Yes, you can turn me on! I'm on the radio! Surf City Sounds Plus: http://www.Live365.com/stations/johns805?play

re: THE SIAMESE CAT SONG:
C'mon ... now how many OTHER places are you gonna find that go from The Jefferson Airplane right into Lady And The Tramp without ever missing a beat?!?!? Seriously!!! (kk)
>>>Regarding my question about the first to use echo chambers, I do remember that there was a song sung in "Lady and the Tramp" sung by the two Siamese cats (and I think in reality by Peggy Lee?) where they over-recorded voices to make an echo but my memory is foggy on this as I neither remember the song nor what sound was created. But there was a feature on TV at that time telling how they were able to make that sound. Considering I don't remember what I had for breakfast today I'm amazed that I even remember anything about that song! (Steve Davidson)
>>>Peggy Lee did, indeed, sing the "The Siamese Cat Song" (We Are Siamese If You Please)" in the Disney classic "Lady And The Tramp" ... but I don't know that this was the first use of "echo" on a recording. (Double-tracking or staggering your vocals doesn't really constitute as echo in my book anyway!!!) kk
If I remember correctly, that feature is a bonus on the two-disc special edition DVD of Lady And The Tramp. I don't recall it having to do with echo, rather the fact that there were 2 cats so Peggy had to overdub her voice ...
Tom Diehl
My understanding is that this track was unavailable for decades due to some sort of licensing agreement or something ... but that never stopped Forgotten Hits from featuring some REALLY rare music within our pages. Thanks to Tom Diehl for sending this one along to share with our readers. (This ought to bring back a memory or two ... spaghetti anyone???) kk

... and, speaking of echo recordings ...

re: ECHO:
Kent, When I read the Steve Davidson comment about "Echo" in your August 19th Newsletter I was taken back in my memory bank to the time I was being shown around one of the early recording studios in Denver in the early 60s, or now that I'm thinking hard about it, it might have been a tour of the KIMN Radio Station Studios, (95 Fabulous KIMN). Anyway, what I remember is that I was surprised when my guide opened a door and said ... "and here's the echo chamber" ... and we walked in. It was a long narrow concrete and tile room probably 20 feet long and 5 feet wide, and it had an echo like when you sing in the shower. It had a narrow sort of square tube running down the center of it that was maybe 10 inches high. I don't know what that was for, maybe to contain wiring. At one end there was a microphone, and at the other end there was a speaker. I think this might have been Band Box Records, but it might have been KIMN Studios, if they wanted echo for producing their in house commercials and jingles. So anyway, it might have been a small recording studio in Denver in the 60s, or it might have been KIMN Radio studios, but that was probably a standard set-up for "Echo" technology of those days, no matter how big the town was or how famous the recording studio was. So that is one way to get an echo, without overdubbing or a delayed playback, and I imagine there was this same type of "technology" being used even in some of the big major studios like Capital Records at some point in the early days, before overdubbing and WAY before electronic manipulation. I'll bet every studio had a dedicated "echo room" that they could use if they wanted to. There's one thing that should be noted concerning "echo effect" about the singers of the early days of recording ... the 1920s, 30, and 40s and later. Many of the top vocalists had a natural but trained quality in their voice that gave an effect to their tones that was a lot like 'echo'. When you listen to those early recordings you can hear that such singers as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Vaughan Monroe, Bing Crosby and even Tony Bennett, ALL sang without any "processed echo" in their recordings, but instead worked close to the mic and generated trained tones in their vocals that were lingering and probably very difficult to achieve. In my opinion, the effect is the same as an echo, and creates a very listenable lyric and an enjoyable total experience, even on the more up-tempo arrangements. The 'echo' that Gene Krupa and other drummers achieved in the early big band recordings, especially on the big beat sounds of their snare drums, was totally due to the natural echo of the stage area or the size of the recording studio. In the early 70s I was sitting with Bonnie Bramlett in front of the engineer's console one day at a huge Hollywood studio, listening to Elvis record, but he wasn't there in the studio. The giant orchestra in the studio just across the glass was playing along to his voice, which had been recorded somewhere else. I remember the engineer working with the echo on Elvis' voice and trying to balance the sound that was on the track he was working with, with the ear of the producer. He even asked US how WE thought it sounded. I like the echo that was already there, and Bonnie thought it was fine too, just the way it was. I remember how we thought we were in on something really BIG that day, and were nodding and smiling a lot to the music. It was a HUGE orchestra and an unforgettable experience. When the Walker Brothers recorded their tracks in London, all the instruments were played on one pass, in one giant session, and were mixed "on the fly" by the engineer as the music was being recorded, including the vocals. When you listen to their tracks now, knowing that fact, it gives you an entirely different respect for the quality of the musicians and for the microphone techniques of studio recording in those days. Of course there was 'echo' on those tracks, but the idea that those high quality and complicated Hal David arrangements, including big Tympanic Drum parts, Oboes and French Horns, and even small bells, was so accurate and exact in the mix ... well it's amazing to me, since I now use about 24 digital tracks on my productions, all individually mixed to TRY to get the sound I want, and it sometimes takes literally months for me to be satisfied (or give up). So "Hats Off" to The Walker Brothers ... Scott Engel, John Maus and Gary Leeds, (though they weren't really related), and of course also a salute to their Producer Johnny Franz, as well as in-studio Arrangers and "ears" Ivor Raymonde, Hal David, and Burt Bacharach. Veeder Van Dorn / The Moonrakers
I passed your note along to Vic Flick, who did a number of recording dates with The Walker Brothers way back when to see if he could shed any insight into some of the techniques used on these sessions. Here's what Vic had to say:
Hi Kent,
Thanks for your E-mail about the Walker Brothers. I shall always remember the Walker Brothers as a quality act who took their work very seriously. They recorded many times in Phillips Studios at Marble Arch, London. Most of the times that I worked with them were with Ivor Raymonde, with the ever present producer Johnny Franz hovering in the background. The period when the early Walker Brothers recordings were made was exciting for singers, musicians and studio technicians. Everybody had to get their input right or the recording would grind to a halt and off we would go again. Later, of course, things got easier with multi tracking as the pressure was off and the take could be kept and any glitches corrected. Even so, studio musicians were expected to come up with the goods every take as time was money and ones career, back then, depended on it. As I had written about The Walker brothers in my Book, Vic Flick Guitarman, I asked John for a photograph. Being over cautious and very business like, John asked many questions about how it would be used, would there be copyright problems, etc. In the end the photo wasn't used!
Veeder mentions Burt Bacharach. I worked with Burt many times. He is a wonderful musician with an incomparable desire for musical perfection. Every session was an education.
Below is an excerpt from my book describing a Walker Brothers 'incident.'
Very best wishes.
Vic
www.vicflick.com
Be sure to check out Vic's website (if you haven't already done so) for an impressive list of studio credits that'll absolutely blow you away. (You can order his book there, too!!!) Here's the promised excerpt, courtesy of Vic Flick himself!!! The Walker Brothers were riding high in the charts with their 1965 hit single ‘Make it Easy on Yourself,’ on which I had the pleasure of working. Simon Dee had invited the Walker Brothers to sing their song on his TV show recorded at the BBC Lime Grove Studios, Shepherds Bush, West London.
Max Harris was the musical director and the band contained such luminaries as Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Ross and — may I say it — me.
Packing up after the show I had made my getaway by rushing off to get my car.
I had parked in the wilds of Shepherds Bush and left Judy to watch my instruments. When I returned and was putting my gear in the trunk of my car, a distraught woman came up to me.
‘Has Tubby left yet?’ she asked. ‘I desperately need to see him. Please help me. Please? Please?’
Thinking it would take just a minute to point her in the direction of the studio (and Tubby), I said, ‘Follow me!’
In the Lime Grove studios, panic had broken out. There was some sort of alarm and before I knew it, the woman and I were directed this way and that and I was lost within the rabbit warren of corridors. When I reappeared in the street the panic inside had erupted outside, mainly caused by my parked car, containing a stricken Judy, surrounded
by BBC heavies. A carefully orchestrated escape by the Walker Brothers to evade the mass of fans gathered in the street had been foiled by my car.
The BBC heavies were trying to push my car out of the way so the small Austin Mini containing the Brothers could roar off as planned. Judy was crying, the heavies were swearing, I was sweating and the fans were starting to tear the Mini to bits. I jumped in, started the car and made a hasty exit, followed by the stricken Mini and the Brothers. Getting to the end of Line Grove Street, I turned right and the Mini turned left. Side by side at the end of the one-way street, I suffered the full vocabulary of epithets the red-faced Mini driver shouted at me. And so ended an unpleasant evening. There was a slight tension working with the Walker Brothers after that incident, but we all realized we were victims of circumstance.
From the book: Vic Flick Guitarman.
Thanks, Vic! You'll find LOTS more stories like that in Vic's book! (kk)

re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
Hi,
Does anyone remember a song with these words included, "when he brings his little motorcycle round after tea, how she liked sitting on the back" etc, etc, etc. I have found nobody who remembers it. It was recorded in the 20's, either on Parlaphone or HMV. Hope you can help!
Baleno
WAY before MY time ... but let's run it up The Forgotten Hits Flag Pole and see what comes back!!! (kk)
I asked long-time Forgotten Hits Reader TheOneBuff if HE recognized any part of this tune ... and here's what I got back:
Grinning. It's even WAY before MY time but let me and the hound dogs see what we can track down.
Hil
LOL ... yes, but you're the oldest living guy I know!!! (lol) kk
Thanks! LOL ... I just asked the oldest living woman I know!!
Hil
Lol ... let's see if anybody else out there can solve this one. Meanwhile, Hil put us on to another site where we ran our inquiry by their group ...
I don't know this one. 20s is really going back. LOL But tell them to ask at this site, MAYBE someone will remember it or they might know where to look for some info on it. Worth a try. Enjoy your weekend.
http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm

re: DIGGIN' FORGOTTEN HITS:
I found and bookmarked your site several months ago, Kent, and have enjoyed every visit there since. Keep up the good work!
Bob Dearborn
Wow! Thanks! I used to listen to you on WCFL back in their hey-day!!! I think you'll enjoy our weekly WLS / WCFL Chart Salutes ... and, if you've EVER got a memory or two to share with our group, PLEASE send it along!!! (kk)

KENT ... YOU'RE JUST ONE DAMN GOOD GUY ... CHET COPPOCK
Thanks, Chet ... that's what I've been shooting for!!! (lol) kk

Hi Kent,
Hope all is going well.
We just returned from a very successful Vegas performance. We performed for two nights and it was a blast!
Love the newsletter ... Keep it coming!
All the best,
Mick
The 1910 Fruitgum Company
You've got to let us know when you're heading out Chicago-way ... would LOVE to see you guys in concert!!! And bring Ron Dante out with you, too!!! (kk)

1969: The Movies

The best movies of '69?

Well, naturally, that's somewhat subjective ...

We can tell you which films won The Academy Awards that year ...

We can run down a list of the Box Office Giants ...

But ultimately it really boils down to which films hit YOUR buzzer or rang YOUR bell ...

And which ones have held up over the past 40 years of time.

Academy Award Winners were as follows:
BEST PICTURE: Midnight Cowboy
BEST DIRECTOR: John Schlesinger (for Midnight Cowboy)
BEST LEADING ACTRESS: Maggie Smith (in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie)
BEST LEADING ACTOR: John Wayne (in True Grit)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Goldie Hawn (in Cactus Flower)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Gig Young (in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: William Goldman (for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Waldo Salt (for Midnight Cowboy)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Z (France / Algeria)
BEST MUSIC: Hello Dolly (Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman)
BEST SONG: Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (by Burt Bacharach from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)

Midnight Cowboy became the first ... and ONLY ... X-Rated Film to win a "Best Picture" award. In hindsight, it's pretty tame ... but by 1969 standards (which also gave us the cult classic "I Am Curious ... Yellow") it was really considered something else.

It was interesting to see Dustin Hoffman go from "The Graduate" to Ratso Rizzo in just two short years ... already he had established himself as one of the best actors of our generation.

A personal favorite? "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".
I've probably seen it 30 times ... and, in fact, we just watched it again recently ... TWICE!!!
It's just a well-made film ... entertaining ... and, perhaps because it IS a period piece, it doesn't seem even the least bit dated some forty years later.

Talking about "cult favorites", we can't rule out "Easy Rider" which, by most standards, is a pretty crappy film ... but it made a HUGE impression on the youth movement of the day and, as such, remains a film that people are still talking about some 40 years later. Made with money earned from "The Monkees" television series, it is probably MOST interesting today because of the early intensity displayed by the now-legendary Jack Nicholson, prominently featured acting beside Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper.

Other notables: Disney's "The Aristocats", "The Wild Bunch", "Patton" ... Academy Award Winners "They Shoot Horses Don't They", "Cactus Flower" and "True Grit".
(And who could forget when John Wayne, winning his first Oscar EVER, commented "If I had known that, I would have put that patch on thirty five years earlier!"

Click here: YouTube - John Wayne winning Best Actor for "True Grit"

1969 holds another very special silver screen memory for me ... as part of a High School Field Trip that year, we were required to see the new film version of the classic Shakespeare piece "Romeo And Juliet" ... first time EVER for me to see boobs up on the big screen!!! (Olivia Hussey was certainly easy to look at, too, at the ripe old age of 16!!!) She went on to marry Dino Martin of Dino, Desi and Billy fame, breaking the hearts of teen-aged boys everywhere in the process.
I remember there being some bit of controversy about her topless scene due to her age at the time ... in fact, LEGALLY (because of the film's "R" Rating) she wasn't old enough to see the film because it contained nudity ... even though SHE was the one who was nude IN the film!!! lol
(Maybe Billy Hinsche can shed some light on THIS topic!!!)

Box Office Giants that year?
The Top Ten films (based on total grosses for the year) were:
1) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (nearly $46 million ... which, when adjusted for inflation brings that tally today to about $257 million!!!)
2) The Love Bug ($23 million ... sorry, but you'll have to do your OWN math from this point foward!!!)
3) Midnight Cowboy ($20.5 million)
4) Easy Rider ($19 million)
5) Hello Dolly ($15 million)
6) Bob And Carol And Ted And Alice ($14.6 million)
7) Paint Your Wagon ($14.5 million)
8) True Grit ($14.25 million)
9) Cactus Flower ($11.85 million)
10) Goodbye Columbus ($10.5 million)

Other notable films released in 1969 include Alice's Restaurant (of course we HAD to go see THAT one after falling in love with the album ... for the record, the movie is a pale comparison); The April Fools; Anne of the Thousand Days; Goodbye Mr. Chips; Hook, Line and Sinker (starring Jerry Lewis!); If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium; the original version of The Italian Job (starring Michael Caine); John And Mary; Last Summer; The Magic Christian (Starring Ringo and Peter Sellers ... and featuring the Badfinger hit "Come And Get It", written by Paul McCartney ... no way we were gonna miss this one either!!!); Marlowe (saw that one a few times!); On Her Majesty's Secret Service; The Sterile Cuckoo; Support Your Local Sheriff; Take The Money And Run (another personal favorite, I've probably seen this one AT LEAST thirty times!!!); The Wild Bunch and Winning.

Wanna feel old??? Anjelica Huston, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight each made their film debuts this year ... even worse, 1969 is the year that Anne Heche, Jennifer Lopez, Edward Norton, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Aniston were BORN!!!

***

For more on The Movies of 1969, we went to our resident Film Buff, TheOneBuff, for HIS take on which films might be worth renting this weekend!!!

1969 ... Reflections of an Old Movie Buff
Over forty years ago, yet many movie memories are fresh in my mind. It was the year of Midnight Cowboy and the media posed the question, "Dustin Hoffman's Ratso Rizzo or John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn for Best Actor Oscar". Now Oscar meant more to me in my thirties than it does now, so I had a rooting interest. My own pick was Jon Voight whose Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy was central, riveting and incredibly real, if not as colorful as costar Hoffman or one-eyed Wayne. Given John Wayne's long career and his status with the Hollywood elite, it was not surprising that he won the award. Hoffman and Voight probably cancelled each other out anyway. If I ruled the world, such tandem performances would be nominated as a team.

Midnight Cowboy was rated X in 1969 but was changed to R, later. Compared to modern stuff, it is pretty tame.

Other goodies that year included Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, a funny and fun movie with the already established Paul Newman giving a hand up to Robert Redford in his big breakthrough role. It marked the second time the lovely Katharine Ross was on hand for a breakthrough since she had been opposite Dustin Hoffman two years earlier in The Graduate. Katharine never went too far up the Hollywood ladder but she was gorgeous.

Then there was Support Your Local Sheriff, an even funnier western with no pretensions other than to make you laugh. James Garner and Joan Hackett displayed considerable comic skills, no surprise in Garner but quite a surprise from Joan, who did mostly serious roles before and after. The likes of Walter Brennan and Bruce Dern in comic form and folks like Harry (the eternal) Morgan made this a favorite.

Maggie Smith lit up the screen as Jean in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the Oscar was virtually guaranteed. Meanwhile, Goldie Hawn was picked as Best Supporting Actress for Cactus Flower. I have seen Cactus Flower and her role did not seem like a supporting one to me. However, she was quite good in a lightweight movie.

This was the year Jane Fonda got her first critical acclaim from the Oscar people for her portrayal of a doomed, miserable soul, in They Shoot Horses, Don't They, a depressing movie about the depression. Jane was the shootee who inspired the title quote at the end of the movie when she asked Michael Sarazzin to put her out of her miserable life.

Meanwhile, while Butch Cassidy did the freeze-frame bit to spare audiences the sight of Paul and Robert being riddled with bullets, The Wild Bunch showed no such compunction. Stars William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates all got chewed up pretty good at the end of this one, but not until after that magnificent scene of these outlaws walking four abreast towards their fate. Good stuff. It should be noted that Holden was a replacement for Lee Marvin in the role of the leader. This was not new for Holden. He had replaced Monty Clift in Sunset Boulevard and Kirk Douglas in Stalag 17.

After splashing around in the surf 16 years earlier in From Here To Eternity, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr were getting it on in color and with nudity in The Gypsy Moths which also featured Gene Hackman, a rising star. This was also an adulterous romance with an unhappy conclusion.

Peter O'Toole got one of his many Oscar nominations in a musical remake of Goodbye Mr. Chips which featured pop sensation Petula Clark as his significant other. Barbra Streisand was miscast in Hello Dolly, but at least we got to see Louis Armstrong sing the song he had made his own. This was mostly a miss, directed by Gene Kelly who should have known better. It was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, however, in another instance where Oscar and I were not on the same page.

Easy Rider came out in 1969 and it remains a cult classic to this day. Those fellows on motorcycles, the songs, and Jack Nicholson moving towards superstardom all help to make this interesting watching today. Coincidentally, Peter Fonda was getting his big role in the same year as sister Jane. She went on to win two Oscars. Peter just went on, getting a single nomination in his career. Dennis Hopper, of course, is Dennis Hopper and has had a flock of interesting roles. He also directed Easy Rider.

Jean Simmons was Oscar nominated for her role in a forgotten movie called The Happy Ending. The most lasting thing from that movie is the song "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", which is now a standard. A beautiful song, it was Oscar nominated but was overwhelmed by the popularity of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head which finally gave Bacharach and David the Oscar which had eluded them. In retrospect, Raindrops seems the lesser song, but Oscar is a thing of the moment. The Best Song category, which is in total disarray nowadays, is littered with things which were very popular at the moment, but which don't have lasting power. This is true of all such awards and people who are critical of the award process should take that into consideration. I could write a whole thing on awards but in the end it would be my opinion versus theirs. I am content to say it was what those people thought at that time and leave it alone.
End of Oscar soapbox

Some of my other favorite movies of that year are:
The Good Guys and The Bad Guys: Robert Mitchum and George Kennedy having a lot of fun as friendly enemies...a lawman and a badman respectively
Sweet Charity: Shirley Maclaine and a bunch of great musical numbers slowed down by bland leading man and a downbeat story. Bob Fosse's choreography and the appearances of Ricardo Montalban, Sammy Davis Jr and Ben Vereen all help to make it watchable. I fast forward a lot.
Anne of The Thousand Days: Genevieve Bujold joining the long list of Anne Boleyn portrayers and Richard Burton the equally long list of Henry VIII's. We know how this is going to end, but it is literate and colorful.
-- Mister Hil
TheOneBuff

Thanks, Hil ... there are at least a dozen of these I want to see ... things I missed the first time around because I was either too young or I didn't yet appreciate the movies as an art form. (I've spent the entire month of August listening to nothing but 1969 music in the car ... maybe during September Frannie and I can spend our weekends catching up on some of these 40-year-old classics!!!)