Happiness is a little book

Growing up in the late 60's early 70's I have many, many fond memories of Peanuts characters in my life. I was way too little to read or understand the comic strips, but I remember cherishing a number of these little square hardcover books when I was a very little kid. Happiness is a Warm Puppy (first published in 1962) was a huge hit in the decade of peace, love, and bomb-banning, and this was very much the look of Peanuts merchandise at the time: Strict black line art printed on very heavy - not always particularly pretty! - colors. These may look odd compared to the mostly pastel stuff you see today from Peanuts, but back then shirts, banners, and sleeping bags with Peanuts characters and quotes are slogans were everywhere. (the torn dust-jacket here may throw you off - the title isn't carried through to the book below).

I couldn't help but share this odd example from Puppy. I can't help but think Charles Schulz couldn't have been entirely happy with this depiction of the kids in a tree. They look more like they were drawn sitting around a campfire, then had a tree drawn in instead. (They all also look like they're a second away from slipping off their branches!)

Happiness is a Warm Puppy inspired sequels, like Happiness is a Sad Song. It also inspired many parodies, some "ribald" as they would have been labelled back then, and some innocent. Probably the best known is "Happiness is a Warm Gun," a slogan seen in a gun magazine which inspired the Beatles song.

Much less known these days, I think it's safe to say, is this example from Johnny Hart's line of B.C. comic strip paperbacks. I didn't make the connection myself until I saw it on the shelf near the Peanuts books - but I'm sure it wasn't lost on the book-buying public back in 1972 when it was released. Hart preferred puns in his strips, and even book titles, but he probably just couldn't resist a little self-deprecating comparison to the number one selling Peanuts merchandising juggernaut he was "competing" with.

Well, they're all good reads, and remind me of my childhood. anytime I come across a B.C. paperback I don't have for a quarter, or one of those funny little square solid-color books for a good price, I still like to pick them up today.

The Quintuple Quandary Quizzification

I'm going to sprain a brain lobe trying to come up with a Big Bang Theory-esque title each time, but heck, it's fun. Here I am trying to post more than once a week, and about the whole range of my collecting and fandom, but I keep getting so much cool Big Bang theory stuff sent my way, that's all I'm getting on here. But I'm not complaining!

I had handed to me tonight (in the Pasadena Cheesecake Factory, no less) a hard copy of a very nice Warner Brothers Employee E-Newsletter that I'd never heard of, called "Behind the Shield." (Referring to the WB logo shield). In it last month was a "Five Questions With...Jim Parsons" column that I hope they won't mind me sharing with you now:

What's your favorite thing about playing Sheldon?

In a weird way, (it's) all the longer passages they give him to say-especially the ones laden with scientific terms. I mean, they are mind-numbing at times, trust me, but there is no satisfaction like the kind you get from not only memorizing these, but from making sense of them-both for yourself and the audience.

When you heard that "The Big Bang Theory" had been picked up for two seasons, how did you celebrate?

I lead a very lame life in terms of celebrations. So, there was no champagne uncorked or anything like that. I remember thinking immediately of all the new scientific terms this would mean I would have to memorize (or, in reference to the above question, "GET to memorize!").

When you're not shooting your own TV show, are you a big TV watcher?

I tend to always have the TV on, but this doesn't mean I am actually watching anything. I am unfortunately remarkably talented at singing commercial jingles and can identify most commercial products within just a few notes. this really can't come in handy any day...

What do you order from the Commissary on the Studio lot, and what's your favorite thing from craft services?

The Commissary has the most wonderful peanut butter cookies I've ever eaten. As far as our own craft services is concerned, Jeannette is such a wonderful human being-she not only always has something delicious set out, but is constantly asking if she can make one of us something in particular. I love her.

Who is the biggest celebrity you've seen on the Warner Bros. lot?

John Stamos. And I say this having laid eyes on George Clooney as well, but I have to tell you that I was more stunned to see Mr. Stamos. No offense, George...you're still number two in my book!

___________________________________

So, kind of fun to see something a little inside like this. this hard copy will definitely be a permanent part of my BBT collection, and I'm going to make a point of trying the peanut butter cookies next time I'm lucky enough to have lunch at the Warners Lot.

And also - I've seen both John Stamos and Arnold Schwarzenegger over there, and I was way more impressed when I saw Stamos too.

Great minds stun alike? :)

The Hofstadter-Cooper Haute Couture

I was very surprised to learn this week that CBS publishes a magazine called Watch! It's been around for about four years, and literally covers all things CBS, past and present.

I discovered this publication existed when a copy turned up on Ebay offering one of seven current covers featuring the Big Bang Theory cast elegantly dressed in a way beyond the means of their characters. As a collector of all things BBT, I snatched it up right away. (Hurray for "Buy it Now!")

Even better, the cover offers a way to order all seven different covers directly (or specific individual ones, in case, say, you're more specifically a Kaley Cuoco and/or Jim Parsons fan). Too impatient to wait for my Ebay purchase to arrive, I contacted the magazine and they were kind enough to oblige me with a copy of the ad to order from, reproduced below.

I suppose I shouldn't feel left out that I hadn't heard of Watch! - as you can see in the clip here, David Letterman had never heard of it when Neil Patrick Harris mentioned the publication sent him off on a luxurious trip on the Orient Express for the cover story in the last issue.

Letterman pointed out that he'd been working for CBS since NPH had a paper route and he'd never heard of the magazine, or been sent on the Orient Express by CBS...

Kids, and Big Bang Theory fans, you can check out the magazine's web site here. Best of all - free three year subscriptions (that's 18 issues) are being offered to the first 50,000 subscribers who sign up by next September, so it looks like you can get your first BBT issue for free! I'm looking forward to seeing this - it looks like a slick publication, and you can't beat the price.

Here's the offer for the collector covers - it should expand when you click on it.

Read!

James Mason... a thing like that! (aka Don Draper, eat your heart out)

Nobody needs some guy with a blog to tell them how good Mad Men is these days - you either are already watching it, already want to, or have already decided it's just not for you. I love the show, watching it on Blu Ray. I will caution that it's not one of those programs you can just leap into the middle of and appreciate - I tried to watch the 6th episode when it was first airing. and friends were first raving about it, and I could not get into it at all. Starting from the beginning, I found it totally engrossing, not just for the compelling characters and story; but for the carefully crafted glimpse into a world that just no longer exists: America, 1960. Mad Men is careful to not just use the early 1960s as an attractive setting, it reminds us how different that world was at almost every turn: after Betty's pregnant neighbor smokes and drinks, without a second thought. A new copy machine - the size of the Buick - is viewed in the office as something that could possibly cause sterility. The Drapers, after a picnic, cheerfully dump their trash on the grass and walk away - they're not bad people, it's just the concept of "litter" was not widely considered at the time. bits of the show remind me of my own childhood, even though I was born in 1966, I had plenty of time to deal with rotary telephones and televisions that required vertical hold. (Kids, ask your grandparents).

It's curious, also, to note that the Game Show Network offers a little glimpse into the real-life world of the early 60's right now with Password, Alan Ludden's word play game, running an episode each night. Currently they're showing programs from 1963, right in line with where Mad Men's third season is. What's interesting for me personally is the chance to see celebrities I've never seen out of character before, as themselves, as they were then. Carol Burnett is a delightful player, loves the game, and appeared in an episode playing opposite Garry Moore, her boss - long before she had her own show. Following are a few screen captures of recent moments"

They often include the original sponsor plugs, something the guys at Sterling Cooper would be glad to see.

Johnny Carson, delighted when his partner guessed "joint" on a difficult clue. Double entendre words that could relate to casual drug use are often greeted with a chuckle when the celebrities first see the word - then it's never mentioned again.

A very young Johnny Carson tries to come up with a one word clue for "allowance."
Jane Fonda vs. James Mason, 1963. I had never seen Jane Fonda pre-Vietnam, she is quite the 5th Avenue Hollywood starlet. To her credit, though, she was so engrossed with her partner, a typical guy who worked at a tool and dye company or some such, she chatted with him all through Alan Ludden's entrance.

Dahh-ling! Jane was simply delighted when Ludden asked "How do you play Password?" and her partner answered "badly."

James Mason stiffens noticeably when his rather boisterous partner smacks him in the arm for getting "Laundry" right.

The next time, he's ready for it, but he's also laughing.

Jane had this odd little move while trying to think of a clue for "blackmail."

Jane illegally gives the "sounds like" signal when she comes up with "hangnail" for "blackmail."

I'll be honest, I never expected to be much interested in the Game Show Network's programming myself, now I watch it nightly. It literally is a glimpse back into a simpler time. Darren McGavin, when giving the clue "tongue" for the word "lick" to his female partner, said "Please pardon the expression" first.

A simpler time.

By the way, about the Big Bang theory Comic Con Panel

I was right about there.

Why am I here?

And I don't mean that in any sort of a philosophical way. Why am I here on blogger?

I started this blog over a year ago, in part to understand and examine my own urge to collect things. As you can see by the list of labels over on the right side, I have many, many interests. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can become very frustrating when you're compelled to collect items from all those interests. And - you don't even know the half of it. I've barely mentioned comic books, and I considered myself a comic book collector ever since I was a little kid. I have a huge interest in original comic art, and zombie comics and movies right now, and they haven't even made it on here much. I feel like I have far too many interests, and I was tired of feeling compelled to buy something because it was cool, only to have it end up in storage - or, now, in a box in the garage. So writing here has helped me to deal with stuff I've collected, share and celebrate it, and feel like there's a use for it.

It has not helped me to stop collecting, however. I have developed a sense that just because something is cool, that doesn't mean I have to buy it, independent of writing here. I have actually bought a few things just because I wanted to talk about them on the blog, if you can believe it. Way back here I rediscovered my old collection of James Bond paperbacks, and I ended up buying a sort of rare copy of Live and Let Die to talk about there. And that's not the only time I've done that, either. I bought a stack of comic books I wanted to write about over a year ago. Now, with the move, it's going to take me awhile to find them, let alone write about them here!

Part of the problem with being a collector, for me, is I have a very hard time getting rid of things, too. This button above was something I wore at a trade show 18 years ago when I travelled around the country selling knee braces. It doesn't hold a lot of meaning for me, and has little or no value, but it's hard for me to get rid of. Good, bad, or indifferent, it represents a period of my life.

Something like this, though, is good for me to take a digital picture of, talk about briefly here, and actually throw away. This may not sound like much, but it's a step for me.

I have taught myself to have more focus in what I collect. Just because something is cool, doesn't mean I have to buy it. However, if it falls specifically in an area I collect on, it's fair game. I still collect animation cels - specifically, obscure or odd animation cels. One advantage in this is they rarely cost very much - most of my purchases were under 20 dollars apiece, like this original cel and original background from a Bill and Ted cartoon series. ( I say "a" series because there were two of them, believe it or not. One was better than the other, but now, I can't even tell them apart by just a cel). I really enjoy this piece, and the fact that they're reading a comic book in the image only makes it better for me.

I also am still really looking around for anything on or from Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel, the restaurant he owned at 826 N. La Cienega Blvd., "The celebrity end of restaurant row." My interest spilled out to the rest of the boulevard, too, largely because it was once such a big deal and now there's scarcely a whisper of "restaurant row" anywhere - even on Restaurant Row. I have a lot more to share both on the Lobster Barrel, the other restaurants that have occupied 826 La Cienega, and the rest of the boulevard. Why? Because I enjoy researching, that's why. (By the way, the mug here really has nothing to do with Alan Hale's restaurant, but come on - a lobster and a barrel - how could I resist?)
I've semi-seriously set out to get two items from every restaurant that I can on the Row, and I've had pretty good luck again without it costing much. Like from Ed Debevic's: Debevic's was a late entry on the boulevard, open when I came out here in 1990, and I dined there several times myself. It was famous for rude wait staff who dressed like 50's and 60's icons (my last waiter was Howdy Doody. Seriously) and danced on the tables and bars. they also had tiny, tiny sundaes which they gave you free for your birthday. I collected a menu and four of the tiny sundae glasses you see here, so that counts as two (different items to represent the restaurant for my collection).

So, I'm just taking a moment to reassess what I'm doing here: you'll see more of what I actively collect, what I used to collect, and what I can't believe I (or anyone) collected. More, of course, Big Bang Theory, and everything associated with being a fan of the show. And more of everything a fan, collector, or geek could want.

Your comments and questions are always welcome here; I appreciate nothing more than a good question I can do some research on. You can comment on the blog or write me at fancollectorgeek@earthlink.net - sorry, I don't know how to make that the kind you click on that conveniently pops open your email.

Also, follow me on twitter at fancollectrgeek (notice the second o is missing)! There, I post anything I'm watching that I recommend, and anything I come across that fits in the Fan/collector/geek categories. If you follow me, please just send a Horton hears a who type "We are here!" message so I know you're a real person.

Oh, and of course: we've got at least one more visit to the Michael Jackson auction to write up. It's a good one.

Thanks for listening - I'll see you in the funny papers.

Images of Comic Con '09

Exit: Silk Spectre, Enter: Harry Potter