Tuesday 6 December 2011

Money talks, but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk! When Neil was Forever in Blue Jeans

File:Foreverinbluejeans7.jpg

"Forever in Blue Jeans" was a song by Neil Diamond which was co-written with his guitarist Richard Bennett. This up-tempo track, released as a single by Columbia in February 1979, was taken from the previous year's Neil Diamond album, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."

The song officially peaked at No20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No2 on the Easy Listening chart in March, 1979.

According to Cotton Incorporated "Neil Diamond might have been right when he named his 1979 No1 hit “Forever in Blue Jeans”: 81% of women are planning their next jeans purchase to be some shade of blue." The song has been used to promote the sale of blue jeans, most notably Will Ferrell, impersonating Neil Diamond singing, for The Gap. Ironically, Diamond himself did radio ads for H.I.S. brand jeans in the 1960s, more than a decade before he sang this song.

The song was referenced on an episode of The King of Queens, Doug Heffernan incorrectly refers to it as "Reverend Blue Jeans" thinking it was a song about a hip reverend that wore jeans.

The Streets of San Fransisco - A Quinn Martin Production: 1972-1977


The Streets of San Francisco was a terrific 1970s television Police Drama filmed on location in, yes, you've guessed it, San Fransisco, California and was produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Brothers television (QM produced the show on its own for the remainder of its run), where it starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas who were both detectives in the San Fransisco Bay Area. The show ran for five seasons, between September 16, 1972, and June 9, 1977, on ABC, amassing a total of 120 60-minute episodes. The series started with a pilot movie of the same title (based on the detective novel Poor, Poor Ophelia by Carolyn Weston) earlier in 1972.

The Streets of San Francisco debuted on ABC on Saturday, September 16, 1972, at 9 p.m. Eastern, competing against two popular CBS sitcoms, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. Another critically acclaimed crime drama, The Rookies, debuted just five days before Streets; it was also seen on ABC. After Streets gained attention on Friday nights during the first season, the show was moved to Thursday, where it stayed for the remainder of the run, beginning with the second season, competing against other successful 1970s crime dramas, in different time slots.

By all accounts Malden and Douglas developed a strong professional and personal relationship from their time on the series. Twenty years after last working together on an episode they were both onstage at the 1996 Peoples Choice Awards. Malden referred to Douglas as "the son I never had" and mentioned that he had wanted producer Quinn Martin to cast Douglas on the series. Douglas responded to the compliment by calling Malden "my mentor," and both also expressed that they enjoyed working together on the show.

The show revolved around two police officers who investigated homicides in San Francisco. The centre of the series was a veteran cop and widower, Lt Mike Stone (Karl Malden), who had more than twenty years of police experience and was now assigned to the Homicide Detail of SFPD's Bureau of Inspectors (ex: Detective Division). He was partnered with a young, plain clothes Detective and energetic partner, Assistant Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas), a college graduate, age twenty-eight, who had no experience in the police force. Stone would become a second father to Keller as he learned the rigors and procedures of detective work. Eventually, Keller was promoted to full Inspector. As the series went on, Douglas became a star in his own right. Mike's daughter, Jeannie Stone (Darleen Carr), made occasional appearances.

After the second episode of the fifth and final season, Douglas left the show after successfully producing the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which won the Academy Award for Best Film for 1975. He in turn would also establish a film career. His character's absence was explained by having him take a teaching position at a local college, while Lt. Stone was partnered with another Detective, Insp. Dan Robbins, played by Richard Hatch, who had started his career on the ABC soap All My Children and would later go on to Battlestar Gallactica. The change was not popular with audiences, and the show ended in 1977, due to low ratings. Also in 1977, writer James J. Sweeney won an Edgar award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for the season four episode "Requiem for Murder".

Both Malden and Douglas spent time with SFPD detectives in order to lend an air of authenticity to the show. SFPD Detectives took a liking to both Malden and Douglas who they characterized as "very fine fellows". Unlike subsequent generations of television production the show made an effort to insinuate itself as seamlessly as possible into the fabric of the city.

An NBC TV movie, Back to the Streets of San Fransisco, aired in early 1992. Karl Malden returned as Mike Stone, now promoted to Captain of Inspectors. The plot involved Stone investigating the murder of his former long-time partner Keller while also investigating a different brutal murder. He also must decide which of two inspectors should be recommended for the position of Lieutenant. Actress Debrah Farentino and Actor Conor O'Farrell played the two inspectors.

Countdown: UFO (1971) Part Two - The Picture Strip: Part Two

The Alien survivor
Part 1: Issue 2 - 27th February 1971
SHADO Control Clerk Warren Spencer has leaked information about the organisation to a Reporter called Mason for the Clarion Newspaper. While Alec Freeman runs a security check, Straker tries to persuade the paper not to pursue the story. A UFO manages to evade interception by Moonbase to be shot down by Sky 1 over the sea. Fisherman Robin Johns, out in his one man launch in the mist, sees the crash and tying it to the reported story in The Clarion, is startled to see a red space suited body floating nearby!

Part 2: Issue 3 - 6th March 1971
Johns brings the Alien aboard and believes Mason will pay a fortune for the information. Sky 1 sees the launch in the mist and orders Johns to report to the harbour for questioning. En route though, Johns detours past past Robbicombe Cave and leaves the unconscious Alien there. Back at the harbour, Johns is questioned by Paul Foster and states he only saw the distant crash but once alone the Fisherman contacts Mason. Together, the two men return to the cave - but the Alien has gone!

UFO issue 4
Part 3: Issue 4 - 13th March 1971
Mason and Johns search but to little avail. Meanwhile, Skydiver has found the UFO on the sea-bed and a salvage vessel finds it to be empty. But the UFO starts to glow and the vessel barely manages to dump it back in to the sea before the crafty self-destructs. Mason has tracked Spencer home and blackmails the operative into getting him into SHADO HQ through automatic checkpoints. However, unknown to both, the Alien has followed them both and also got into the base.

Part 4: Issue 5 - 20th March 1971
Disguised as a SHADO operative, Mason explores the base. Meanwhile, Alec Freeman suspects Johns knew more than he was telling and questions him further. The Fisherman cracks and explains about the Alien and Mason's contact within SHADO. Freeman returns to HQ and warns Straker that Spencer is the traitor. However, Spencer has reasoned that Mason can keep blackmailing him and goes to confront him. What he finds instead is an armed Alien!

UFO issue 6
Part 5: Issue 6 - 27th March 1971
The Alien Kills Spencer and Straker and Foster find his body and the tell-tale burns of a ray weapon. The Commander issues an alert and all personnel respond to an assembly point for checking, except Mason who does bot recognise the call sign. Cornered by Straker, Mason responds he has a duty to the public. The Alien is nearby and sights Straker with his weapon, Mason sees it and impulsively leaps forward in warning. Mason is shot and the Alien killed. Later, both Johns and a recovering Mason are administered the amnesia drug which means Straker can not even thank him for saving his life.

Joe 90 Top Secret (No 10)

Joe 90 Top Secret No. 10
Joe 90 Top Secret magazine no 10 was published on 22nd March 1969 and comprised of the following articles. Agents' Profile (readers' photographs) A competition to win 50 Corgi The Beatles Yellow Submarines. Joe's Hobbies (The Story of Space Travel as told in Stamps no. 10) Champions Of Sport - Graham Hill. World Intelligence Network (Information and jokes) The B.I.G. R.A.T. Tells the story of Bridge-Tunnel and Top Ten no 10 - Matra MS11 - V12.