More Random TV GUIDE Ads - 9 to 5

Just got home from seeing the great Dolly Parton at the Hollywood Bowl. Her final (before the encore) number for the evening was the theme from 9 TO 5 - one of funniest movies ever made. The movie was later adapted into a TV series for ABC starring Rita Moreno (in the Lily Tomlin role), Valerie Curtain (in the Jane Fonda role) and Dolly's own lookalike sister Rachel Dennison as Doralee. After ABC axed the show it lived on in syndication with Sally Struthers replacing Moreno (oddly, I had seen Struthers & Moreno on Broadway in a version of THE ODD COUPLE). Jeffrey Tambor originated the Dabney Coleman role, only to be replaced by BOB NEWHART's Peter Bonerz and UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS legend Jean Marsh took over the supporting role of Roz. Other actors who came and went during the six-year run included Edward Winter, Leah Ayres, Herb Edelman and Nicholas Coster. The show was rarely repeated and has never been released on VHS or DVD. Wonder if Rita Moreno actually wears a Wonder Woman costume in this episode.

Happy 'Dougsploitation Diva' Birthday to Dolly Parton!

As a birthday tribute to the ultimate Dougsploitation diva (she turns 64 today!) here's a rerun of a post from a few years ago.













In August of 2008, less than a week after a 5.4 earthquake hit Los Angeles, there suddenly came another unstoppable, unexplainable force of nature - Miss Dolly Parton, performing at the Greek Theater!!!


















In all the years that I've been a Dolly fan, I always managed to somehow miss her live shows. Well, this time I was not gonna let her get away.










Finally, 32 years after I first discovered Dolly on her first variety series, (the syndicated DOLLY, which aired Saturday nights at 7:30PM on Channel 5 WNEW Metromedia in New York from 1976-77) I was finally going to see her perform LIVE!














Well, perform is an understatement because Dolly transcends just about any other performer I've ever seen (well, maybe not kd lang or Liza, but pretty damn close). It's hard to describe what exactly it is about her. Maybe it's her angelic voice, her honest folksy charm, her self-deprecating humor, her sweet homespun storytelling, her ability to play almost any instrument, her heartfelt songwriting or her endless energy and devotion to making her audience happy. Dolly gave us exactly what we wanted: the best of her old hits, a sampling of her new stuff and enough crowd-pleasing antics to keep almost everyone entertained. What's not to love?















Suffice to say, I had a great time, despite the two drunken dancing lesbians who partially impaired my view and the elderly couple who sat in front of me completely stone-faced with their arms crossed the entire show. They looked like they were trapped in hell! I guess their daughter bought them tickets and they thought it was going to be an all-Republican audience. They really seemed annoyed when Dolly made fun of McCain's age. The rest of the crowd was a mix of drunk gays, drunk lesbians and drunk white trash - much like Dolly herself.













Over the years, I've enjoyed most of Dolly's recordings and TV appearances. Her films 9 TO 5 (which became an awesome stage musical) and BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (see my review here) are great fun to watch. STRAIGHT TALK would have been better without the wooden James Woods. I remember liking STEEL MAGNOLIAS, but not enough to ever see it again. Maybe someday.













I've never seen RHINESTONE, a situation I need to rectify soon. (UPDATE: I watched it since this original post. No comment.)


















I also regret never watching her one-season 1987 ABC variety hour, also called DOLLY. Not sure why I avoided it, but I recall the critics being pretty harsh. Hopefully this series will turn up on dvd one day.











I've carried this Dolly Dollar in my wallet for 8 years (NOTE: 10 years now) since my trip to Dollywood, it reminds me that somewhere out there among the Red States is a "dry county" where large women and their inexplicably handsome husbands suck down fried green tomatoes while riding rickety rollercoasters and listening to a cacophony of Dolly 's greatest hits. My favorite memory of my trip to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. is visiting a supermarket, where I saw a one-armed man carrying an oversize package of diapers with his one arm, while smoking a cigarette. I thought to myself - that's real dedication.

















Anyways, back to Dolly. She looked great, sounded fantastic and was full of so positive energy, it was almost a spiritual experience. Of course she told many of the same breast and plastic surgery jokes we've been hearing her tell for years - but as long as she tells 'em, we'll be laughing with her. The best joke of the evening was when asked "What would you like for people to say about you 100 years from now?" Her reply was "Damn, she looks good!" I Love Dolly Parton!

PS - A compilation of episodes of DOLLY (the 1976-77 version) is now available on dvd from MPI Video as DOLLY PARTON & FRIENDS. Also, a great (and positively creepy) documentary about obsessive Dolly fans called FOR THE LOVE OF ONLY is worth seeing. I swear I am not one of the fans profiled.

Annual Animated Treats

Here's a Dougsploitation rerun from last year. Am I the only person who gets super excited by this 5-second piece of video?When I was a kid, the sound of the CBS SPECIAL PRESENTATION i.d. was enough to make me drop my action figures and run through the house and plop my ass in front of the closest color TV set. To those too young to understand, there was actually a time before VCRs, dvds, TIVO and the internet when you actually had to watch TV when it was "on". Holiday specials aired once and if you missed 'em, you were out of luck. There was something "special" about "specials" back then. Now, you can watch FROSTY THE SNOWMAN at 3 AM in the middle of the summer. Back in the day, it was an "event" that you waited all year for...and it never disappointed.

Here's two of the less popular animated holiday specials from the CBS library:

THE FAT ALBERT HALLOWEEN special first aired on October 24, 1977. This, of course, is from Filmation Studios, not known for great animation or storytelling. (See my review of HAPPILY EVER AFTER and my friend Danny's skewering of the HE-MAN/SHE-RA: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.) FAT ALBERT was Filmation's jewel in the crown. Because Bill Cosby was involved, the show was a few notchs above the other shows the studio produced. I watched the Saturday-morning series sometimes, but not on as regular basis. I did love the funky theme song though...

The second cartoon in this double-feature is the awkwardly titled PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING LIES. While not Halloween themed, I guess the brass at CBS figured "dragon=scary=Halloween" and scheduled it to air after FAT ALBERT. Or maybe it was a "obese lead character" theme night? After all the TV Guide ad screams "TWO BIG ONES, BACK TO BACK." I don't think I ever saw this particular show, which is a sequel to 1978's PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON, which in turn was based on the song from folk legends Peter, Paul & Mary. Sung here by Miss Dolly Parton...(insert BIG ONES joke here)

This cartoon told the story of a little girl dealing with her parent's divorce by telling lies!!! Cartoons in the 1970s were so cool...and relevant. Too bad there isn't a cartoon based on Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" - that would really be great!

Look for more Halloween (and country music?) treats from Dougsploitation in the coming weeks!

Hard Candy Christmas

A lot of people will be cutting back on spendin' this holiday season. Why not give some hard candy?

Animated Halloween Specials (part 1)

Am I the only person who gets super excited by this 5-second piece of video?When I was a kid, the sound of the CBS SPECIAL PRESENTATION i.d. was enough to make me drop my action figures and run through the house and plop my ass in front of the closest color TV set. To those too young to understand, there was actually a time before VCRs, dvds, TIVO and the internet when you actually had to watch TV when it was "on". Holiday specials aired once and if you missed 'em, you were out of luck. There was something "special" about "specials" back then. Now, you can watch FROSTY THE SNOWMAN at 3 AM in the middle of the summer. Back in the day, it was an "event" that you waited all year for...and it never disappointed.

Here's two of the less popular animated holiday specials from the CBS library:

THE FAT ALBERT HALLOWEEN special first aired on October 24, 1977. This, of course, is from Filmation Studios, not known for great animation or storytelling. (See my review of HAPPILY EVER AFTER and my friend Danny's skewering of the HE-MAN/SHE-RA: A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL.) FAT ALBERT was Filmation's jewel in the crown. Because Bill Cosby was involved, the show was a few notchs above the other shows the studio produced. I watched the Saturday-morning series sometimes, but not on as regular basis. I did love the funky theme song though...

The second cartoon in this double-feature is the awkwardly titled PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING LIES. While not Halloween themed, I guess the brass at CBS figured "dragon=scary=Halloween" and scheduled it to air after FAT ALBERT. Or maybe it was a "obese lead character" theme night? After all the TV Guide ad screams "TWO BIG ONES, BACK TO BACK." I don't think I ever saw this particular show, which is a sequel to 1978's PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON, which in turn was based on the song from folk legends Peter, Paul & Mary. Sung here by Miss Dolly Parton...(insert BIG ONES joke here)

 This cartoon told the story of a little girl dealing with her parent's divorce by telling lies!!! Cartoons in the 1970s were so cool...and relevant. Too bad there isn't a cartoon based on Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" - that would really be great!

Look for more Halloween (and country music?) treats from Dougsploitation in the coming weeks!

A cup of ambition...

Well, it wasn't "opening night" and Dolly Parton wasn't in the house (that I know of), but I can't think of a way I'd rather spend 9/11 than in a theater full of people cheering on three secretaries as they get revenge on their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss. Of course, I'm talking about the rollicking stage musical adaptation of 1980's classic comedy 9 TO 5.With music and lyrics by the enormously talented Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick (who wrote the film), 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL is a big, bawdy, brassy Broadway-bound musical starring the wonderful Allison Janey (THE WEST WING) in the Lily Tomlin role, the incredible Stephanie J. Block (WICKED) in the Jane Fonda role, the amazing Megan Hilty (also from WICKED) in the Dolly Parton role, and the outrageous Marc Kudisch - channeling Burt Reynolds- in the Dabney Coleman role. The rest of the cast is outstanding, with Kathy Fitzgerald's Roz being a standout.
The story, set in 1979, is basically a very ambitious retelling of the film, with virtually identical dialogue and some new (and funny) jokes thrown in. A few scenes from the film are missing and there are some slight changes in Mr. Hart's story - but otherwise it's a pretty faithful adaptation that should please fans of the film.The music is quite good with several versions of "9 to 5" (with new lyrics) blending seemlessly with some great new show stoppers. Who would have thunk that our little Miss Dolly Parton from Pigeon Forge, Tenn. would one day be churning out showtunes! Is there anything this woman can't do?  "Backwoods Barbie" which debuted on Parton's latest cd is well at home here and new tunes "One of the Boys" (performed by Janney) and "Get Out and Stay Out" (Block) are amazing and "Heart to Hart" (Roz's ode to her boss) is a hoot. You know Dolly was probably tickled to death to write dirty song lyrics!The direction and production design are awesome as well, and the few technical glitches were overcome with some cute ad-libbing from the actors. I'm glad to say the "pot-smoking sequence" is even more fun than in the film. While I'm not a "theater queen" per se (I've never even seen RENT, WICKED, THE PRODUCERS or HAIRSPRAY on stage) - I know a good show when I see one - and 9 TO 5 is a damn good show. If you are in LA now through October 19 - see it, or wait till it hits New York next spring. If you are anywhere else in the world, watch the film, it's still as good as it gets!

My 100th Post

For my 100th post, I thought it would be fun to do something special. At first I looked up today's date in history to see if something cool happened 100 years ago today. Other than it being the 100th birthday of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, nothing really jumped out at me. So then I decided to approach this was a "very special episode" of DOUGSPLOITATION where I look back at the past 100 posts and recall my favorites, etc. Maybe I'll do that for my One Year Anniversary Special (coming on September 19).Browsing through my previous posts made me think about all the stuff I love. So I decided to list my FAVORITE 100 THINGS. After a slow start, and a quick visit to my dvd, cd and book collections - the names and titles came flying at me. In fact, it was hard to decide who or what to leave off. For instance, rather than list MULHOLLAND DRIVE and BLUE VELVET, I grouped them as "David Lynch Films". In one case I've listed the director (Russ Meyer) separate from the film (FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL KILL) because that film has profoundly effected me, but his others are also great. Also, rather than list out every MGM Musical that I love, I decided to group 'em, much like DC Comics. Some musical acts that I actually love didn't make the list (sorry Cyndi, Aretha, Eurthymics, Blondie, kd lang) to make room for lesser-known artists that I feel need more exposure. Some TV shows that I currently watch are already listed on my DVR list, so there's no need to repeat them here. And then there's the "classics" that would normally make any gay pop culture list (Babs, Bette, Madonna, Cher, Lucy, THE WIZARD OF OZ - ugh). Well, you ain't gonna find them here. Judy and Liza may have snuck in, but there's where I draw the line. Maybe I'll work on my "other 100 favorite things" for Post # 200, but it would probably not include those aforementioned divas.

One last note: the ranking order is random to an extent, but I tried to group my all-time faves near the top of the list.


So here it is...my FAVORITE 100 THINGS...

100. Brenda Starr, Reporter
99. The Andrew Sisters
98. Kathy Mattea
97. Harry Nilsson
96. Cassandra Wilson
95. Amy Rigby
94. Holly Cole
93. Alison Moyet
92. Cheryl Wheeler's "Driving Home" cd
91. Schoolhouse Rock
90. Barbie
89. Phranc
88. Dianne Reeves
87. Lulu
86. Logan's Run
85. Loretta Lynn
84. Down with Love
83. The Apple
82. Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
81. Strictly Ballroom
79. Tammy Wynette
78. Shock Treatment
77. Pink Lady & Jeff
76. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
75. Nancy & Sluggo
74. Siouxsie & the Banshees
73. Strangers With Candy
72. Showgirls
71. Claudine Longet
70. Billie Holiday
69. Mommie Dearest
68. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
67. Pet Clark
66. Sandie Shaw
65. Golden Books
64. Neko Case
63. Doris Day
62. Tales of the City
61. Dinah Washington
60. Sandra Bernhard
59. Nina Simone
58. 9 to 5
57. Nancy Sinatra
56. Maude
55. Etta James
54. Airplane!
53. David Lynch Films
52. Mari Wilson
51. Mr. Show
50. Sid & Marty Krofft
49. Air (French Band)
48. Degrassi (old school)
47. Kirsty MacColl
46. Goldfrapp
45. MGM Musicals
44. Absolutely Fabulous
43. Captain Marvel/Shazam/Isis
42. The League of Gentleman
41. Dusty Springfield
40. Alfred Hitchcock Films
39. Julie London
38. Peggy Lee
37. Liza Minnelli
36. The Dixie Chicks
35. Pedro Almodovar Films
34. Shirley Bassey
33. Another World
32. Mame
31. Gypsy
30. Hanna-Barbera Cartoons
29. Ethel Merman
28. ABBA
27. The Free Design
26. Russ Meyer Films
25. Rankin-Bass TV Specials
24. Bette Davis
23. Power Girl
22. Dolly Parton
21. Judy Garland
20. Disneyland
19. old TV game shows
18. The Carpenters
17. The Carol Burnett Show
16. DC Comics
15. The Electric Light Orchestra
14. The Justice Society of America
13. Halloween (the holiday)
12. Something Weird Video/exploitation films
11. John Waters Films
10. TV Guide
9. Wonder Woman
8. The Odd Couple
7. Ann Magnuson
6. Joan Crawford/her films
5. Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill
4. Fawlty Towers
3. Mary Tyler Moore Show
2. Xanadu
1. Christmas (the holiday)

Hurricane DOLLY Sweeps Through Los Angeles!!!

In less than a week after a 5.4 earthquake hit Los Angeles, there suddenly came another unstoppable, unexplainable force of nature - Miss Dolly Parton, performing at the Greek Theater!!!

In all the years that I've been a Dolly fan, I always managed to somehow miss her live shows. Well, this time I was not gonna let her get away. Finally, 32 years after I first discovered Dolly on her first variety series, (the syndicated DOLLY, which aired Saturday nights at 7:30PM on Channel 5 WNEW Metromedia in New York from 1976-77) I was finally going to see her perform LIVE!

Well, perform is an understatement because Dolly transcends just about any other performer I've ever seen (well, maybe not kd lang or Liza, but pretty damn close). It's hard to describe what exactly it is about her. Maybe it's her angelic voice, her honest folksy charm, her self-depricating humor, her sweet homespun storytelling, her ability to play almost any instrument, her heartfelt songwriting or her endless energy and devotion to making her audience happy. Dolly gave us exactly what we wanted: the best of her old hits, a sampling of her new stuff and enough crowd-pleasing antics to keep almost everyone entertained. What's not to love?

Suffice to say, I had a great time, despite the two drunken dancing lesbians who partially impaired my view and the elderly couple who sat in front of me completely stone-faced with their arms crossed the entire show. They looked like they were trapped in hell! I guess their daughter bought them tickets and they thought it was going to be an all-Republican audience. They really seemed annoyed when Dolly made fun of McCain's age. The rest of the crowd was a mix of drunk gays, drunk lesbians and drunk white trash - much like Dolly herself.

Over the years, I've enjoyed most of Dolly's recordings and TV appearances. Her films 9 TO 5 (soon to be a Broadway-bound musical - watch for my review next month!) and BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (see my review here) are great fun to watch. STRAIGHT TALK would have been better without the wooden James Woods. I remember liking STEEL MAGNOLIAS, but not enough to ever see it again. Maybe someday. I've never seen RHINESTONE, a situation I need to rectify soon. I also regret never watching her one-season 1987 ABC variety hour, also called DOLLY. Not sure why I avoided it, but I recall the critics being pretty harsh. Hopefully this series will turn up on dvd one day.

I've carried this Dolly Dollar in my wallet for 8 years since my trip to Dollywood, it reminds me that somewhere out there among the Red States is a "dry county" where large women and their unexplainably handsome husbands suck down fried green tomatoes while riding rickety rollercoasters and listening to a cacophony of Dolly 's greatest hits. My favorite memory of my trip to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. is visiting a supermarket, where I saw a one-armed man carrying an oversize package of diapers with his one arm, while smoking a cigarette. I thought to myself - that's real dedication.
Anyways, back to Dolly. She looked great, sounded fantastic and was full of so positive energy, it was almost a spiritual experience. Of course she told many of the same breast and plastic surgery jokes we've been hearing her tell for years - but as long as she tells 'em, we'll be laughing with her. The best joke of the evening was when asked "What would you like for people to say about you 100 years from now?" Her reply was "Damn, she looks good!" I Love Dolly Parton!

PS - A compilation of episodes of DOLLY (the 1976-77 version) is now available on dvd from MPI Video as DOLLY PARTON & FRIENDS. Also, a great (and positively creepy) documentary about obsessive Dolly fans called FOR THE LOVE OF ONLY is worth seeing. I swear I am not one of the fans profiled.