I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Part 14

It's time to resume our review of the holiday flotsam and jetsam on my 20th and most recent seasonal compilation, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today."  Today's focus is on yet another clip from Johnny Carson's iteration of The Tonight Show, along with a track from the 1960s that got included by accident because I'd forgotten I'd used it once before. Oh, well, let's get started!

Track 37
Christmas Gift for Janet De Cordova, Johnny Carson from The Tonight Show (1985) 

Fred De Cordova

This is the third of three clips on this year's mix from the gold standard of late night television, The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. This one is from 1985 and involves Fred De Cordova, the show's legendary producer. 

Fifteen years older than Carson, De Cordova had accomplished a lot before joining The Tonight Show. After graduating Harvard Law School, he joined the Schubert organization in New York — not as a lawyer, but rather as a director, stage manager and performer. He eventually left New York for Hollywood, where he directed a series of low-budget films, including "Bedtime for Bonzo," starring Ronald Reagan, who became a good friend. He later focused on television, directing hundreds of programs ranging from the Jack Benny Show to My Three Sons and Leave It to Beaver. He joined The Tonight Show as producer in 1970 and became executive producer in 1984. According to De Cordova, his role was to serve as "chief traffic cop, talent scout, No. 1 fan and critic all rolled into one," and, for the most part, he did his job well. He won five Emmys for his work, and the show was a great success. Jay Leno installed his own producer after succeeding Carson as host in 1992, but he was smart enough to keep De Cordova around for an additional five years as a consultant. 

De Cordova was a hands-on producer who remained readily accessible to Carson throughout most of each night's broadcast, sitting just outside of camera range. For the most part, he made sure things stayed on time and provided Carson with feedback during commercial breaks. Occasionally, however, Carson would pull De Cordova into the actual on-air conversation as a disembodied voice from beyond the set. This arrangement was parodied by SCTV in a very funny sketch called "The Fred De Cordova Show." In later years, Carson had a light installed over De Cordova's chair so the camera could pick him up when Carson called on him. You can catch a glimpse of him in this clip, when he and Johnny discuss Mrs. De Cordova's Christmas wish list:

Janet De Cordova in Gracie's Mexican home

I've heard many stories about about Fred's wife, Janet, over the years, which is why I found this short clip about her gift request so compelling. From what I know of her, the idea of Mrs. De Cordova asking for Halley's Comet isn't so far-fetched — if not on a ring, then maybe on a broach or a necklace.  And from what I know about her husband, he might very well have tried to procure it for her. (For background, Halley's Comet is visible from earth once every 75 years or so and was scheduled to make an appearance shortly after this clip was filmed. Its most celebrated showing was in 1910, which is when Carson was suggesting De Cordova could have first picked it up. The joke, in other words, was a knock on the producer's age.) 

Fred and Janet De Cordova didn't want for much during their heyday; in fact, they were the quintessential Beverly Hills power couple of their day. While Fred kept the Tonight Show running in Burbank, Janet was typically making extravagant purchases on Rodeo Drive or lunching with wealthy girlfriends like Nancy Reagan, Betsy Bloomingdale or Joanna Carson. “The De Cordovas’ raison d’être,” said Dominick Dunne, “was to live an A-list life.”

The marriage and lifestyle of this rich and famous couple was detailed in the 2011 Vanity Fair profile "Once Upon a Time in Beverly Hills," by Matt Tyrnauer. It's a fascinating read.

Janet Thomas was a Kentucky native ten years Fred's junior. She relocated to Hollywood in the early 1940s with hopes of getting into the movies, and while that didn't pan out, her good looks earned her a place on the social circuit and she had little difficulty meeting suitable escorts. Her first four marriages ended in divorce, but her fifth, to De Cordova, lasted for 38 years, until his death in 2001. It was not, by many accounts, an extraordinarily loving marriage. But the two proved useful to one another, and they enjoyed all of the many privileges that came from Fred's position at Carson's side, including a gorgeous home, lavish gifts, the latest fashions and the constant support of talented domestic help.

For those who knew the De Cordovas or attended their parties, the secret to Janet's reputation as a hostess was her longtime housekeeper, Gracie Covarrubias. It was Gracie who tended to all the details and all of Janet's many needs. Through good times and bad, it was Gracie who absorbed all of the bumps and shocks that threatened Janet's home life, smoothing everything over so she could enjoy her daily pursuits without worry or fear. This wasn't unique among the denizens of Beverly Hills. Many of the rich and famous had hired help upon whom they depended. But Gracie grew to become much more than that to Janet De Cordova.

Following Fred's death in 2001, Janet discovered that her financial resources were far more limited than she'd imagined. Yes, her husband earned a decent wage, but Janet's clothing and jewelry alone ate up a good chunk of that. And while they never had children, their staggering entertainment and household expenses didn't allow for the creation of a financial cushion for the lean times. Janet was forced to sell their home and started to look for a new place to live. 

Things began to look even worse for Janet when Gracie announced she'd decided to return to Mexico to live in the house she'd built with the savings from her tireless service to the De Cordovas. Janet was devastated. How would she ever survive without Gracie? It was then that the two women agreed to an arrangement that stunned Janet's Beverly Hills friends. Gracie agreed to bring Janet with her to live out her final years in her housekeeper's Mexican home. It's an incredibly sweet story, well detailed in the Vanity Fair piece I commend to your attention. I understand HBO has had the rights to Janet's story for a number of years and is working to develop something from it. I know I'd be more interested in seeing that than seeing Halley's comet on a ring.

Here's a clip of Fred as an actual guest on the Tonight Show:

Did You Know:  Fred De Cordova played late-night TV producer Bert Thomas in Martin Scorsese's brilliant film The King of Comedy (1983). In the film, Robert De Niro plays a disturbed aspiring comedian who kidnaps talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) in order to appear on his nightly show. I've set the clip, below, to open on one of De Cordova's scenes, but if you haven't seen it, I encourage you to watch the whole movie, which is terrific. 

Track 38
She's Coming Home, The Wailers (1965)

Several weeks ago, I mentioned the terrific 1965 album "Merry Christmas from The Sonics, The Wailers and the Galaxies," on which you'll find the third track from this year's compilation, "Santa Claus," by The Sonics. You'll also find this track — "She's Coming Home," by The Wailers. This isn't the first time I've featured this tune on one of my mixes. It also appears on my 2020 mix, "All Alone on Christmas," making it one of only a small handful of tunes to appear more than once. Why the second showing? I don't know, I guess I just really like the song. And, to be honest, I'd forgotten I'd used it previously. I haven't listened to or thought much about my 2020 collection since I put it together and when I heard this song again while playing the Sonics, Wailers and Galaxies record this fall I was thinking more about how much I liked it than whether I'd used it previously. I guess I must also really like The Wailers, as I included another of their terrific tunes, "Christmas Spirit," on my 2018 mix, "My Christmastime Philosophy."

The band was originally formed in 1958 as "The Nightcaps" by five high school friends in Tacoma, Washington. They had an early break when a demo of one of their earliest original songs, an instrumental called "Tall Cool One," caught the attention of the New York-based Golden Crest label and they were offered a recording contract. "Tall Cool One" hit Billboard's Top 40 under the group's new name and their first album, "The Fabulous Wailers" was well reviewed. Unfortunately, they were dropped by their label after refusing to relocate to New York and returned to the Seattle area for good. 

Over the next nine years, the band established itself as a local favorite in the Pacific Northwest. They performed frequently and released a number of fine albums on their own record label. They also helped to promote other area bands, including The Sonics and The Galaxies, with whom they collaborated on the 1965 album on which "She's Coming Home" appears.

This really is a great song — one that captures all of the hopefulness, excitement and bittersweet feelings that can arise among young people reuniting over the holidays after time away at school:

 

We've only got three more tracks to examine this year, and I expect to get to them sometime over the next day or two. Hang in there, everybody — Christmas is coming!

I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Part 11

We're continuing to examine the 41 tracks on my 20th and latest holiday music compilation, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today," and today I have some background on two more tracks, each of which touch on U.S. politics in the 1970s and '80s. 

Track 29
The Night Before Watergate, Rich Little (1973) 

This short track is another clip from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the second of three on this year's mix. It was taped on November 30, 1973, which is just over 51 years ago, and it features a guy whom Carson refers to as "probably the finest impressionist in the business" at the time — Rich Little. I was a big fan of Mr. Little back then, based largely on his impressions of Richard Nixon, whom I actively disliked. While most of my family was Republican, my maternal grandmother loathed Richard Nixon as did the woman who took care of my brother and me after our mother was killed, and these two smart women persuaded me that Nixon was bad news. I avidly followed the Watergate scandal throughout junior high. When I was 13, I won my school's citizenship award and was thrilled to receive a bound volume of the Senate Watergate Committee transcripts as my prize.  Of course, most of the country was following Watergate then, and Rich Little was getting lots of work doing his Nixon impressions. As Little explains in the clip, he used to do a version of "The Night Before Christmas" each year, and with the public's attention focused on Nixon's problems, his Christmas story for 1973 was called "The Night Before Watergate":

I've set the clip (above) to start at the beginning of the selection I chose to include in this year's mix. but I urge you to watch the tape from the beginning to see Little's entrance, get a sense of the in-house NBC Orchestra, and hear about the other guests on that evening's show.

Rich Little is still alive, and recently celebrated his 86th birthday. He was probably at or near the high point of his career around the time this show was taped. Throughout the rest of the 1970s and '80s, he was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show and occasionally guest hosted for Carson. He frequently appeared at various venues in Las Vegas and ultimately relocated there, and maintained active television and touring schedules. Born in Canada, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2010. I was sorry to learn recently that he considers himself a Republican and thought Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

 

I can't help but compare the public's reaction to the Watergate scandal with our current political climate. Back then, reports of the alleged bugging of the Democratic National Committee in June of 1972 received scant coverage at first, allowing President Nixon to win reelection by a landslide that fall. But when evidence emerged suggesting that Nixon may have participated in covering-up Republican involvement in the break-in, Congress, the media, the FBI and others began thorough investigations.  Once Nixon was found to have lied about his role in the cover-up, it was over. His political support evaporated overnight, with even most Republican leaders demanding his resignation. This year, by contrast, we have just elected a twice-impeached, convicted felon who has committed far greater transgressions than Nixon and whose entire campaign was based on lies, hatred and revenge. His recent appointments consist of unqualified, corrupt stooges eager to destroy the departments they are supposed to lead. Yet even as he sets himself up as a de facto dictator, the institutions that should be protecting us appear uninterested or unable to stop the impending madness. I'm heartbroken, and left to wonder how we could have fallen so far so fast.

Maybe we should look to some of our comedians for help, as we did a half century ago. I'm just not sure Rich Little's going to be much help this time around.

Track 30
The Night Ronald Reagan Rode with Santa Claus, Red River Dave (1984) 

"Red River" Dave McEnery

This next track is (or should be) a genuine Christmas classic, for it tells the story of the night Ronald Reagan accompanied Santa Claus as he delivered toys to the children of the United States. I discovered this one on The World's Worst Records, an aptly named website, subtitled "An Arcade of Audio Atrocities." The song was written and performed by a feller named Dave Largus McEnery (1914-2002), a Texas native who became known as "Red River Dave" because he enjoyed singing the classic ballad "Red River Valley."

Described by the Old Time Blues website as "[o]ne of the true blue, larger-than-life Texas characters," McEnery 

tried his hand at just about every occupation that appealed to him at one point or another: prolific songwriter, blue yodeler, rodeo cowboy, television personality, real estate agent, Shriner, ventriloquist, fine artist, truck stop preacher, and many, many more. 

He launched his career doing rope tricks and singing western songs at rodeos in and around San Antonio before migrating to the East Coast. He found work at a series of radio stations singing and playing western music. He started making records in 1940 for the Decca label and went on to become a prolific recording artist, creating dozens of discs of traditional cowboy songs and popular standards.

During the 1950s and '60s, his material evolved to include topical social commentary and tributes to dead celebrities. This is the stuff he's perhaps best known for today. As the Old Times Blues site explains,  

[h]is songs increasingly reflected his patriotic, conservative, and staunchly anti-communist politics, as heard in such numbers as “The Bay of Pigs,” “The Great Society,” and “The Ballad of John Birch.”  For a time in the mid-1960s, Dave turned his attention toward being a “dynamic real estate salesman,” even billing himself on contemporaneous records as “Singing Cowboy Realtor.”  Though sales of his private press 45 RPM singles were usually fairly poor, Dave continued to record and publish his old-time yodeling songs about current events all the way into the 1980s, with numbers like “The Pine-Tarred Bat (Ballad of George Brett),” “The Ballad of E.T.,” and “The Night Ronald Reagan Rode with Santa Claus.”  In total, McEnery penned more than a thousand songs over the course of his life, many of which were never commercially recorded, and are now likely lost to time; in one 1946 publicity stunt, he wrote fifty-two songs in twelve hours while handcuffed to a piano.  Later in his life, he broadened his horizons to include oil painting, usually western landscapes, which he sometimes sold.  

This track was released in 1984 on Beautiful America Records, backed with a song called, "Santa's Watchdog, Archibald," both of which can be heard on and/or downloaded from the World's Worst Records site HERE. 

I suppose any true patriot would be stirred by the notion of Santa and Ronald Reagan joining forces, which is why this track is so powerful. Even a quick look at the lyrics should quicken the pulse of any true-blue American:

It was the night before Christmas at Santa’s abode,

The cold wind was whistlin’ down the old Arctic Road,

Reindeer were prancin’ out there in the snow,

And Santa’s big sleigh was all ready to go.

 

When out from the snow storm there rode a tall man,

The cowboy dismounted, extended his hand and said,

I’m Ronald Reagan, I hope it’s alright,

I’d like very much, sir, to join you tonight.

I’m bringing some presents, some items of truth,

That I want to give to America’s youth,

Oh, ho! chuckled Santa, of course I know you,

I gave you a pony the year you were two.

 

Why, you’re Ronald Reagan,

Of course, it’s alright,

I’m happy to have you on my journey tonight

We’re proud of you, Ronnie. You’re on the right track,

Now what’s in your saddlebag? What’s in your pack?

 

Why you’ve got mementoes of America there,

There’s Washington crossing the Old Delaware,

And miniature replicas of the Liberty Bell,

And prints of the Star Spangled Banner as well.

 

And pictures of patriots long in their graves,

And Abe’s proclamation that freed all the slaves,

And framed constitutions to hang on the wall,

And statues of liberty, nine inches tall.

 

And flags called old glory. Oh, God bless her name,

And little toy Alamos and the Battleship Maine,

And copies of music, well there’s “Over There,”

And “God Bless America,”

And manuscripts rare.

 

Son, you’ve brought some keepsakes more precious than gold,

For they tell the story of our country of old,

America’s creed and the great Declaration,

Of the 4th of July that made us a nation.

 

Why your pack’s a treasure,

I’m so glad you came,

To help me deliver such gifts in the name,

Of honor and liberty and freedom so sweet,

Ronald Reagan, this Christmas will never be beat.

 

Quick Dasher, quick Dancer, quick Vixen of old,

Yes, we’ve got a story that’s worth being told,

Get moving old Rudolph, start leading the way,

This Christmas we’re boosting the great USA!

 

With a dash on the wind they flew into the night,

Ronald Reagan and Santa Claus, holding on tight,

The sleigh bells were playing Yankee Doodle in time,

And here’s what I heard Santa shout down the line.

 

Merry Christmas, America, it’s time to renew,

Your pledge of allegiance to the red, white and blue,

And we found a new spirit in America because

One night Ronald Reagan flew with old Santa Claus.

I'm not sure there's much more to be said about that — at least not until someone finds a way to add Donald Trump to the mix. (If you want a real acid trip. try playing this song at a very slow speed.)

In his later years, Dave leaned real hard into the dead celebrity thing, releasing post mortems on Bing Crosby, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Lee Harvey Oswald, Sharon Tate, Amelia Earhart and Elvis Presley's mother, Gladys. He recorded a tribute to kidnapped newspaper heiress Patty Hearst when she was feared dead, but the discovery that Hearst helped her captors pull a bank heist kind of killed the mood for that tribute. He released the song anyway. I believe it's sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." (Listen HERE.)

In the end, of course, McEnery himself was called to follow the celebrities he'd honored in song. He died on January 15, 2002 at the age of 87. All told, he led a rather interesting life.

Hear Red River Dave's "California Hippie Murders"

Hear Red River Dave's "The Ballad of Emmett Till"

Read McEnery's obituary in The Guardian

Hope you're keeping happy and warm and have finished at least some of your holiday shopping. I'll be back now and again over the coming days with background on the 11 remaining tracks from this year's mix.

I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Part 4

Today is December 2, and with this posting I will have covered more than a quarter of the 41 tracks on my latest holiday mix, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today." I'd say that's pretty good. Unless I grow lazy or distracted (and I wouldn't necessarily bet against those possibilities) there's a decent chance we'll finish the job by Christmas Day. Here are some thoughts about the next two tracks on this year's mix:

Track 10
Will "Ho, Ho, Ho" for Food, Johnny Carson from The Tonight Show (1990)

I've never watched much late night television, but I'm fascinated by the ups and downs of the various late night network shows. I was once involved with a wonderful person who worked for The Tonight Show when Jay Leno was host and I had a good opportunity to learn a lot about the incredible team of people it took to put that show together and the complex array of moving parts and pieces involved. When NBC decided to replace Jay with Conan O'Brien and then bring Jay back a short time later I followed reports of the network's bungling with great interest. I loved David Letterman's shows on NBC and CBS. I liked and admired Craig Ferguson a lot. My first reaction to Jimmy Kimmel was not positive, but I've come to like him a lot more in recent years. I don't much care for Jimmy Fallon. But none of these folks can hold a candle to the guy who ruled late night television for 30 years as host of NBC's Tonight Show — Johnny Carson.  

Born in Iowa, Carson was raised in Nebraska where he developed an interest in performing magic tricks for family and friends. After a stint in the U.S. Navy where he performed magic tricks for Navy Secretary James Forrestal, Carson earned a B.A. in radio and speech from the University of Nebraska and was hired by an Omaha television station to host a morning show. In 1951 he was hired by a Los Angeles station to host a low-budget late night comedy show that became known as "Carson's Cellar," which caught the attention of comedian Red Skelton, who hired Johnny to write for him. Carson hosted a number of other shows through the 1950s where he honed his live interviewing skills and in 1962 he was hired by NBC to succeed Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show.

When Carson took over Tonight, it was based in New York and ran for 90 minutes, five nights each week. None of the other networks had competing late night shows at the time, which allowed Carson to create a unique format that ultimately became the standard template for such broadcasts. He started each show to the sounds of the Tonight Show Orchestra playing "Johnny's Theme," written by Paul Anka. His announcer, Ed McMahon, would then intone his famous introduction: "Heeeere's Johnny," followed by a Carson monologue. Following a commercial break, Carson would be back, often in costume with one or more other performer's, for a short comedy sketch. Carson relied on a number of regular characters for these sketches including Carnac the Magnificent; Art Fern, host of the Tea Time Movie show; and Aunt Blabby, a cantankerous older woman. Following the sketch, Carson would welcome a series of guests for interviews, conversation and, often, performances.

I'd say there were several reasons why Carson became the king of late night TV. For one thing, he was able to establish himself without any competition. For most of his run, the other networks ran old movies and other canned programs after the 11:00 local news, which allowed Carson. Second, he studiously remained above the fray — avoiding politics and controversy and capitalizing on his friendly midwestern outlook. He was also blessed with a quick wit and a gift for conversation. Although introverted off camera, he was a wonderful interviewer and he consistently made his guests look interesting and enjoyable. Finally, he was modest and self-effacing, which endeared him to most of his viewers. If one of his jokes fell short, he had a bunch of different ways to soften the blow, as he demonstrated in the first of the two Carson clips I included in this year's mix. The video below has been teed up to begin with the clip I used, though you can dial the cursor to the left to see a longer excerpt from Carson's monologue that aired on December 14, 1990:

I don't know that I ever watched The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson live when Carson hosted the show, but I've watched hundreds of clips on YouTube and elsewhere in the years after he retired and he was an incredibly gifted performer. He also helped launch the careers of a great many comedy stars, including Robin Williams, Freddy Prinze, Jay Leno, Rodney Dangerfield, Steven Wright, Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld.

For three decades, Carson helped millions of Americans end their day and take stock of our affairs. In these days of streaming video and endless programming choices, it's likely we'll never see another host with the broad national audience Carson commanded. It's fortunate that he handled his responsibility so well.

Here are some highlights of his work on The Tonight Show:

Track 11
O Little Town of Bethlehem, The Joy Strings (1966)

This is the third version of this song that I've featured on my mixes. The first was by the late Sally Kellerman on my 2005 mix, "Don't Wake the Kids!" The second was done by Bob Rivers in the style of Eric Burden of The Animals singing "The House of the Rising Sun" from the extra mix I put together in 2007, called "Hooray for Santa Claus!" This one is a straight ahead soft rock version by The Joy Strings, a British Christian group led by Joy Webb, a classically trained musician who was also an officer in The Salvation Army. This version, too, incorporates elements from "The House of the Rising Sun":

The Joy Strings were formed in 1964 with the idea of bringing a more contemporary sound to the music of The Salvation Army. Founded in London in 1865 by Methodist Reform minister William Booth, The Salvation Army seeks to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the hungry, homeless and destitute. The Army currently maintains a variety of projects and programs worldwide including disaster relief, drug rehabilitation, summer camps for underprivileged children. I served on the board of advisors for The Salvation Army's operation in Boston's South End, which was primarily concerned with assisting neighborhood youth. 

From its early days, the Army has relied on music to attract attention to its work and distract unruly crowds. By the 1960s, however, there were concerns that the drum and bugle corps the Army relied on were no longer reaching the country's youth. Army officer Joy Webb decided to attract younger members by playing music that was popular among youth in venues they attended, like coffee houses. She started The Joy Strings for that purpose and the band's music had the desired effect. After appearing on a popular British TV program, the band was signed by EMI and they soon recorded several songs  that made the British record charts.

The following clip offers a good introduction to the group:

Hear The Joy Strings' "We Three Kings of Orient Are" from their 1966 Album "Well Seasoned"

Hear The Joy Strings perform "A Stary Night," Written By Joy Webb

I'll be back soon with more.

Deck those Halls, Part 2 (Tracks 4-6)

We've just started to examine the 42 songs on my latest holiday mix, Deck those Halls, and being that this is only the second installment in our series, the spotlight today is on Tracks 4 through 6 -- three cute little clips that we can handle with dispatch. Don't believe me? Just watch . . .

Track 6
Merry Christmas, Loopy Lu, by The Kaisers (2003)

I can't remember where I first heard this song, but I know that for at least a year I was under the impression that it was at least 20 years old and that The Kaisers were a very talented American band from the 1960s or thereabouts. Well, they're not. They're a successful and talented Scottish beat band formed in 1992 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Known for their lengthy and amazingly energetic shows, The Kaisers recorded six albums before disbanding in 2002. "Merry Christmas, Loopy Lu" is a fun,pop-style tune that really does seem to have come from a different age, don't you think? I've listened to a number of their other records now, and they certainly were good.

Track 5
Christmas Is Great, by Gentlemen on Escalators (2014)

This is another song I discovered on Stubby's House of Christmas, where it earned barely a mention: 

"Gentlemen On Escalators' single is stupid and yet... "

That was it -- well, those few words and a download link. Yet such is the power of Stubby's that even the least consequential offhand mention can yield results. I have to agree with Stubby's assessment. This is a stupid little song, and yet there's something powerful in its simple and straightforward assertion. I haven't heard anything else by the group, but I have a strong feeling that I wouldn't like it if I did. For the fifth track of this year's mix, however, they're perfect.

Track 4
Holiday Greetings from the Producers of Tarzan
I have no idea where this track came from, either, but it cracks me up all the same. The announcer sounds like it could be Johnny Carson. What do you think?





We'll be back tomorrow with more. Hope to see you then. 

Charles Nelson Reilly and the Gang Celebrate Launch of Match Game '76

(L to R) Brett Sommers, Gene Rayburn and
Charles Nelson Reilly

I didn’t realize this until after it was completed, but my latest New Year’s CD, Ringin’ In a Brand New Year, features content that spans an entire century. From 1912’s “New Year’s Medley” by The Prince’s Orchestra to the New Year’s Greeting recorded last year by Newt and Callista Gingrich, this mix covers a lot of ground. Like my annual holiday CDs, this collection draws from a variety of musical styles and features a number of non-musical tracks that help capture certain historical and cultural images in sound. One such track is a recording of the New Year’s Eve ritual observed during much of the 1970s on the set of the popular Match Game television show. Launched exactly 50 years ago, The Match Game survived several different incarnations and aired on all three of the major commercial networks at various times. The original program debuted in December 1962 on NBC and aired weekdays from 4:00 to 4:30 pm. This version featured two teams of three, each of which was led by a guest celebrity. Host Gene Rayburn read questions aloud and awarded points based on the number of matching answers on each side. Although the show was a perennial ratings success, it was dropped by the network in September 1969 to make room for a new show called "Letters to Laugh In." Producers Mark Goodson and Bill Toddman revived the program for CBS during the summer of 1973, although the debut of this second incarnation was postponed by several weeks because of the Senate Watergate hearings. Gene Rayburn was once again tapped to host, but little else from the original survived intact. As Rayburn noted, "This is a now version of your old favorite, with more action,. more money and more celebrities." The number of celebrities increased from two to six, with two non-celebrity contestants. Under the new format, Rayburn alternated questions between the two contestants, who competed to earn the most matching responses from the celebrity panel. The new set was designed in garish '70s style with shag carpeting, lots of blinking lights and plenty of orange. Perhaps the biggest change was the nature of the questions themselves, which had become significantly more risqué. This was undoubtedly a key factor in making this second version of the show the most successful of all. The new version of the show was called Match Game ’73, which, of course, required the title to be updated on an annual basis, and each New Year’s Eve, the gang did something special to mark the unveiling of the new name. From all appearances these special arrangements included an open bar, as a number of the celebrities seemed to have difficulty sitting upright let alone matching answers. My latest New Year's CD includes a recording of the festivities that aired on December 31, 1975, featuring the flamboyant and irrepressible Charles Nelson Reilly, who, with Brett Sommers and Richard Dawson, served as a regular guest on the show. Reilly is probably best known for his work on Match Game, but he enjoyed an illustrious stage career and was also a gifted acting teacher and director.  He enjoys the distinction of having appeared with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show more often than any other guest, due in part to the fact that he lived less than two minutes away from the studio and was typically available to fill in for last-minute cancellations. His last major project was a one-man autobiographical show called The Life of Reilly, which won rave reviews both as a live performance and film.  I heartily recommend it. 

Here’s the excerpt that's included on Ringin’ In a Brand New Year, which captures the transition from Match Game '75 to Match Game '76 on December 31, 1975: 

And for those brave souls who want more, here are clips of three additional Match Game year-end celebrations:

For more Match Game trivia and history, check the Game Show Network's Match Game page or Wikipedia.

Tomorrow (or the next day):  Richard Nixon Spreads His Unique Band of New Year's Cheer!

Start Your New Year's Party Early with "Ringin' In a Brand New Year"

There's always been a certain tension between the Christmas and New Year's holidays -- a sibling rivalry, if you will. Separated by merely a week, they're typically seen as an indivisible package. Together, they serve to protect us from everyday life for at least a couple of weeks each year with a collective force that far exceeds their individual powers. Yet they are also indisputably unique -- one is pious, sentimental and child-like; the other secular, ribald, and free-wheeling. Little wonder then that each of these year-end holidays has its own canon of songs, and its own distinct set of cultural icons and ephemera.

My first New Year's mix was prompted by my discovery of two incredibly wonderful tunes one snowy afternoon in late 2007 while visiting my brother and his family at their home in Maine.  The first was Happy New Year, by Spike Jones and His City Slickers; and the second was Happy New Year, by Charlie Weaver.  Each of these songs was new to me, and they immediately raised my spirits.  In fact I remember singing them aloud as I shoveled and snowblowed my brother's long driveway several times that evening.  The mere fact that I'd volunteered for outside work during a Nor'Easter speaks volumes about my good mood at the time. Anyway, it was a relatively easy matter to find enough additional New Year's material to fill a CD, and by the time I returned to Los Angeles on December 30, my first New Year's mix was recorded and ready to go.

I've kept my eyes and ears open for additional New Year's material over the past five years, and by last Fall I had at least 50 strong candidates for a follow-up mix. But it wasn't until recently that I felt any particular interest in preparing something.  Once I started, however, the whole thing came together quickly, and I'm pleased with the result, which is titled Ringin' In a Brand New Year!  There are 30 tracks altogether, and the complete mix lasts just under 70 minutes. As with my annual Christmas mixes, "Ringin' In a Brand New Year" is a mish-mash of wildly different styles, and it features songs and music interspersed with celebrity greetings, spoken features and short comedy bits.  This mix opens with what I believe to be the oldest recording I've used in any of my mixes to date -- a 1912 recording of a New Year's Medley performed by The Prince's Orchestra, one of the most successful musical acts of that time.  Also included are songs by Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Waits and The Dismemberment Plan, and historical snapshots such as the audio track of the following broadcast from Times Square as Ben Grauer welcomed viewers of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show to the start of 1966:

My latest New Year's mix is now available for download for a limited time from my holiday music website.  You can download the mix as a single .mp3 file or as a zip file containing 30 individual tracks.  You can also download a track list, CD label and jewel box insert, and you can listen to the first nine or ten minutes of the mix from the website itself.  Enjoy the mix, and Happy New Year!