Pop Focus: 50s nostalgia in the 70s

As a kid growing up in the 1970s, I sent a lot of time in the 50s. The earlier decade was everywhere, from very early on in the decade -- the nostalgia perhaps expressing a desire to go back, before Vietnam, before Watergate, before everything got so messed up.

Of course, the 50s weren't exactly a perfect decade. There was oppressive conformity, red scare paranoia and rampant discrimination against women and minorities. Check the first few seasons of "Mad Men" for a recap. Yes: Great cars, great clothes, not-so-great pent-up anxiety and horrible treatment of the office Steno pool.

But back to the 1970s: It's hard to know where or when the 50s nostalgia trend started. However, looking back, the most visible indicator is "American Graffiti," made by future "Star Wars" director George Lucas and starring a whole mess of folks who would go on to do other stuff in the decade, such as Richard Dreyfuss, Suzanne Somers, future "Shirley" Cindy Williams and future Han Solo, Harrison Ford. And, right at the center of things, real 50s kid, Ron "Opie" Howard.

The film is actually set in 1962, but captures what we think of when we think about 50s teenagers: Lots of cruising the drag, watching "submarine races," jukebox rock'n'roll, and conflicts between and squares, hipsters, hoods and jocks.

It's a pretty funny movie, as I recall. And it's the first of several 70s movies to have a hugely soundtrack associated with it -- available on 8-track!




"American Graffiti" probably made permanent our nation's obsession with 50s-style diners.








Concurrent to "American Graffiti," was "Grease," a 1971 musical focused on many of the same teen themes as "Graffiti," but with more singing and dancing.  It was turned into a film, too, of course, in 1978 - starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. My wife can sing the whole dang score.

Also present in the 70s was musical reaction to the excesses of psychedlia and prog. Younger musicians expressed a desire to go back to the dangerous roots of 50s rock'n'roll and this was a key factor in the development of punk. Original punk band, the Ramones went back to basics both in their sound and in their leather-jacketed look.


Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, future Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and designer Vivienne Westwood were reviving the 1950s British Teddy Boy look in their London boutique, Let it Rock.


My main introduction to 50s music, however, was 1978's "The Buddy Holly Story," starring the still-relatively-sane Gary Busey as the doomed Texas Rocker. I saw the film in fifth grade and it inspired a life-long love of Holly's music and 50s rock'n'roll.


Meanwhile, on TV, there was "Sha Na Na," a cheesy variety show hosted by a singing-dancing band that was actually ahead 50s revival curve, having performed at Woodstock in 1969.


But the most visible 1950s nostalgia trip on the tube was the long-running "Happy Days." It was by far the most popular TV show among my elementary school crowd.


Though obviously green-lighted due to the success of "American Graffiti," the roots of the TV show pre-dated the film. In 1971, Ron Howard, Anson Williams and Marion Ross all appeared in an unsold TV pilot called "New Family in Town," which was recycled into an episode of ABCs anthology "Love, American Style."

Later, when George Lucas was casting "Graffiti," he asked to view the pilot in order to determine if Ron Howard would be a good fit for his film. He was, and the film's huge success is what enabled the pilot's original producer Gary Marshall to sell ABC on the idea of a 1950s-set sitcom.""New

Here's a look at the original "New Family/Happy Days" pilot:










If you're going to Guardians of the Galaxy, please help creator Bill Mantlo

Passing along info from comic artist Greg Pak about this very worthy cause. Mantlo was on of the Marvel writers I grew up on and it's sad to hear of his longtime plight.
That ridiculously awesome raccoon with the machine gun who blew your mind in that “Guardians of the Galaxy” footage was created in 1976 by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Keith Giffen. Tragically, as LifeHealthPro’s Bill Coffin documented in a tremendously moving article a few years ago, Mantlo was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 1992 and suffered traumatic brain injury.

If you love Rocket Raccoon — or Rom or the Hulk or the Micronauts or Cloak and Dagger or any of the incredible characters Bill Mantlo wrote during his prolific career — please consider clicking the button here to send your donation to Bill’s brother Mike for Bill’s ongoing care.

Just bought this: Jack Kirby "I'll electrocute your mind" t-shirt!

Very cool t-shirt from the Jack Kirby Museum.



Today's Best Picture Ever: Johnny Cash


Bob Kane's own Batman comics up for auction

Batman co-creator Bob Kane's personal copies of early Batman comics are up for auction. They have holes in them.
Those searching for pristine editions of Detective Comics #27 or Batman #1 will have to look elsewhere. These are copies of Detective Comics #27-45 and Batman #1-3 that were bound by DC Comics for editorial reference — as you can see, there’s a row of holes down the left — and later given to Kane. Still, the colors remain vibrant.

Fab Friday: John Lennon and the Nothing Box!



Visit The Glass Onion Beatles Journal!

Today's Best Picture Ever: Marlon Brando


Vintage photo still: Creature from the Black Lagoon!


Comics solicitations for October 2014: Avengers and Iron Man Epic Collections; Marvel Star Wars Omnibus; Len Wein Tales of the Batman; Silver-Age Batman Strips; Wally Wood

Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.

Avengers Epic Collection: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Volume #1 in the Avengers Epic Collections Written by STAN LEE with LARRY LIEBER & LARRY IVIE Penciled by JACK KIRBY & DON HECK with DICK AYERS Cover by JACK KIRBY Gathering together to face Loki, Marvel's greatest heroes -- Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp -- formed comics' greatest team: the Avengers! They were joined by Captain America soon after, and there was no doubt these were Earth's Mightiest Heroes! But Marvel heroes don't just battle villains, they live, breathe, argue...and even fall out. And in an innovative twist, Stan Lee eventually chose to have those original Avengers depart, leaving Captain America to carry on! Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch -- all conflicted villains -- became Cap's new recruits, transforming the Avengers into a dynamic, unpredictable and exciting quartet! So grab a copy of this Epic Collection, and experience the origins and permutations of the world's most-famous super team from the very beginning! Collecting AVENGERS (1963) #1-20. 456 PGS

Iron Man Epic Collection: The Golden Avenger
Volume #1 in the Iron Man Epic Collections Written by STAN LEE with ROBERT BERNSTEIN, DON RICO, LARRY LIEBER & AL HARTLEY Penciled by DON HECK with JACK KIRBY & STEVE DITKO Cover by JACK KIRBY Marvel had hit after hit in 1963, bringing new characters and fresh concepts to a public primed and ready for heroes with feet of clay. And none touched both that heroic ideal and human reality like Iron Man! A jet-setter, playboy and brilliant scientist, Tony Stark had his life changed forever when a battlefield explosion ripped into his heart -- and only the amazing Iron Man armor could keep him alive! Stan Lee and Don Heck built the foundation that would turn Iron Man into a cultural icon. Now, you can experience his earliest adventures in this Epic volume collecting their complete original run. Featuring the evolution of the Iron Man armor, and the first appearances of Hawkeye and the Black Widow, they're true classics from cover to cover! Collecting material from TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #39-72. 520 PGS.

Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 6
Written by ROY THOMAS with GARY FRIEDRICH Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA with DON HECK & WERNER ROTH Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA & RICHARD ISANOVE Get ready for Earth's Mightiest Heroes matched with two of comics' mightiest talents -- Roy Thomas and John Buscema -- as the Marvel Masterworks take you on a trip through one of the most stellar creative periods in Avengers' history! It's cover-to-cover watershed moments for the Avengers: The Black Panther joins the team, the Avengers fight the X-Men, a new Masters of Evil debuts, the story of Bucky Barnes' tragic death is told in full for the first time, the new Avengers and the original Avengers face off in a reality-bending battle -- and don't forget the first appearance of Ultron! And this storied Masterwork concludes with one of the most famous stories in all of Marveldom: the Vision's debut in "Even an Android Can Cry." Collecting AVENGERS (1963) #51-58 and ANNUAL #2, and X-MEN (1963) #45. 256 PGS.

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Volume 9
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT Penciled by PAUL SMITH, FRANK MILLER & BRENT ANDERSON with WALTER SIMONSON & MICHAEL GOLDEN Cover by PAUL SMITH The Uncanny X-Men had become the biggest franchise in comic books by 1982. Chris Claremont's writing rose to find perhaps his most poignant and challenging expression of the mutant metaphor in "God Loves, Man Kills," while his work with Frank Miller on WOLVERINE skyrocketed the character's popularity. With culmination of Paul Smith's classic run--featuring the growing romance between Kitty Pryde and Colossus, the first appearance of Callisto and the Morlocks, Rogue's debut as an X-Man, and the wedding of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor--this Marvel Masterworks is nothing short of a marathon of mutant milestones! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #168-175, UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL (1970) #7, MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #5 and WOLVERINE (1982) #1-4. 432 PGS.


Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Volume 1
Written by ROY THOMAS, HOWARD CHAYKIN, ARCHIE GOODWIN, JO DUFFY & CHRIS CLAREMONT Penciled by HOWARD CHAYKIN, CARMINE INFANTINO, WALTER SIMONSON, HERB TRIMPE, MICHAEL GOLDEN, AL WILLIAMSON & MIKE VOSBURG Covers by HOWARD CHAYKIN & GREG HILDEBRANDT As the phenomenon dawned in 1977, Marvel Comics published the very first STAR WARS comic-book series. Now, the House of Ideas is re-presenting those original adventures in its wampa-sized Omnibus format! It's the return of the Jedi to Marvel in an opening volume that begins with A NEW HOPE and ends with THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. In between, the rebels face a wealth of new perils -- from space pirate Crimson Jack to the bounty hunter Beilert Valance, as well as a surprisingly svelte Jabba the Hut (one "t"). Luke goes back to Tatooine, Leia battles alone, Han and Chewie play the deadly Big Game, and Darth Vader hunts for answers! With all your old favorites and plenty of new faces -- hello, Jaxxon! -- there's no doubt, the Force is strong with this one! Collecting STAR WARS (1977) #1-44 and ANNUAL #1. 880 PGS.


Tales of the Batman: Len Wein
Written by LEN WEIN Art by various Cover by JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ and DICK GIORDANO
These tales from the 1970s, written by Len Wein, pit Batman against the villainy of The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, Ra's al Ghul and many others. Collected from BATMAN #307-310, #312-319, #321-324, #326-327, DETECTIVE COMICS #408, #444-448, #466, #478-479, #500 and #514 and UNTOLD LEGENDS OF THE BATMAN #1-3.

 
Batman: The Silver Age Newspaper Comics Volume 2 (1968-1969)
Whitney Ellsworth (w) * Joe Giella, Al Plastino (a) * Pete Poplaski (c) In this second volume, produced in partnership with DC Entertainment, Batman's rare 1960s newspaper adventures continue. Will Batman and Robin survive the double-dealings of Madame Zodiac, not to mention the redoubtable Blue Max? If so, can the Caped Crusader then survive being trapped on an island with an atomic time bomb beneath him? Can his friend Superman save him when the Man of Steel might not be able to save himself? Can Aquaman come to rescue them both? The answers to these questions--and many more--are in this breathtaking Bat-Volume. Reprinting all daily and Sunday strips from January 1, 1968 through May 31, 1969!


Modesty Blaise - The Grim Joker
(W) Peter O'donnell (A/CA) Enric Badia Romero As dangerous as she is desirable, Modesty Blaise, the cult creation of best-selling writer Peter O'Donnell, returns for three more devastating adventures! Features the classic stories "The Grim Joker," "A Present for the Princess," and "Black Queen's Pawn," all written by Peter O'Donnell and beautifully illustrated by Enric Badia Romero!

Wally Wood: Torrid Romance (Vanguard Wally Wood Classics)
(W) Various (A/CA) Wally Wood Torrid Romance is a great, kitschy collection of early romance comics by the legendary comic book creator Wallace Wood. This is the softcover edition of the all-new collection of Golden Age romance comics by the Hall of Fame artist. These rare and valuable stories have never appeared in any book. This collection costs less than a single issue of the original, early-1950s collector's-item comics!