The Chicago Sun-Times reviews the 1968 "The Archie Show," now out on DVD.
The music is what set "The Archie Show" apart from the rest of the Saturday morning lineup (it was also one of the first cartoons to use a laugh track). While superheros were saving the planet on other shows, the Archies were making records. Every episode featured the Archies' signature brand of bubblegum pop -- pop that sold tens of millions copies (including those cardboard '45s that were part of the packaging on your favorite cereal box). Songs like "Sugar, Sugar" (which sold 7 million copies), "Bang-Shang-a-Lang" and "Jingle Jangle" made the "imaginary" Archies as hot as the real artists on the charts. For a time, in 1969, "Sugar Sugar" sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, besting "Age of Aquarius" by the Fifth Dimension, "Can't Get Next to You" by the Temptations and "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones. The reason for the Archies' musical success pointed to one man, iconic promoter Don Kirshner, fresh from his stint with the Monkees. Kirshner assembled a studio band that included (in various incarnations) Ron Dante, Jeff Barry, Bobby Bloom, Leslie Miller, Ellie Greenwich, Andy Kim and Toni Wine. The resulting layered harmonies made the Archies easy to listen to.
-------------
See Steve Martin interview New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast.
-------------
Actor Gabriel Macht ("The Good Shephard") will play the Spirit in Frank Miller's big-screen adaptation of the Will Eisner comic strip.
"We think Gabriel has a devilishly charming quality, and the dry wit that embodies the Spirit, and we wanted to do this with someone who can embody this character for the next few years, because we anticipate we'll be making more than one Spirit movie," said Lionsgate prexy of film production Mike Paseornek.
---------------
As hinted here previously, the beloved Dial B for Blog, um, blog, is coming back. It's creator, "Robby Reed" promised new "issues" beginning in September. Meanwhile, you can catch up on some his earlier funny, informative and in-depth looks at Silver Age Comics here.
You also can keep up to date on the Dial B for Blog Message Board here.
----------------
Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson may perform together at one of Wilson's upcoming London concerts.
No comments:
Post a Comment