Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Bicentennial Minute
From Porn to Pot....
From KISS to Liberace...
And from Playboy to CBS News...
Just about every aspect of popular culture was part of the celebration - which seemed to start in 1974 and end sometime in 1977. These were special years for me and I look back at the Bicentennial fondly, knowing that I will probably never see a celebration as big or important again in my life. And if I do, I hope Barbie has just the right outfit to celebrate along with me.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
On the 10th Day of Christmas...
Friday, December 10, 2010
Hooray for Holidays!
The Hollywood Christmas Parade kicks off the holiday season in tinsel town with a annual star-studded extravaganza. It used to occur on the evening before Thanksgiving and was telecast throughout the season.
The very first parade, in 1928, was highlighted by the appearance of only one actress, Jeanette Loff, and Santa Claus. Since the main attraction seemed to be Santa, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce named it The Santa Claus Lane Parade.
The parade was created to attract shoppers and their families to Hollywood Boulevard during the holiday season. Hollywood Boulevard was decorated with live Christmas trees and a live reindeer pulled sleigh carrying Santa Claus and Ms. Loff down the Boulevard. Miss Loff died in 1942 under mysterious circumstances. (The above photo is from the 1950 parade, © Toyo Miyatake.)
In later years bigger stars would participate - like the late David Carradine, who died last year, also under mysterious circumstances.
In 1946, the parade inspired Gene Autry to write Here Comes Santa Claus, (Right Down Santa Clause Lane). Autry died at the ripe old age of 91. Whew - I was beginning to think this parade was cursed!
The parade was in Los Angeles on KTTV Channel 11, and syndicated to stations across the country - including WNEW, channel 5 in New York. Santa wears glasses? Looks more like the late Steve Allen.
Other LA stations also carried the live broadcast. Interesting how Channel 13's ad highlighted the shows whose stars were appearing in the parade. Hosted by Hobo Kelly? The event was renamed The Hollywood Christmas Parade in 1978 and the coverage switched over to KTLA Channel 5. In 2004, NBC aired an hour-long Blockbuster Hollywood Christmas Spectacular.
In 2010, the 79th annual parade will take place on Sunday, November 28, 2009 at 6 p.m. It will air nationally on local stations and on The Hallmark MOVIE Channel (It's a movie? Who knew?) on Dec. 15. The Grand Marshall for the 2010 parade is Larry King. Here's the official website.
Bob Eubanks and Lee Meriwether have been replaced by Erik Estrada and Laura McKensie. WHO???
The very first parade, in 1928, was highlighted by the appearance of only one actress, Jeanette Loff, and Santa Claus. Since the main attraction seemed to be Santa, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce named it The Santa Claus Lane Parade.
The parade was created to attract shoppers and their families to Hollywood Boulevard during the holiday season. Hollywood Boulevard was decorated with live Christmas trees and a live reindeer pulled sleigh carrying Santa Claus and Ms. Loff down the Boulevard. Miss Loff died in 1942 under mysterious circumstances. (The above photo is from the 1950 parade, © Toyo Miyatake.)
In later years bigger stars would participate - like the late David Carradine, who died last year, also under mysterious circumstances.
In 1946, the parade inspired Gene Autry to write Here Comes Santa Claus, (Right Down Santa Clause Lane). Autry died at the ripe old age of 91. Whew - I was beginning to think this parade was cursed!
The parade was in Los Angeles on KTTV Channel 11, and syndicated to stations across the country - including WNEW, channel 5 in New York. Santa wears glasses? Looks more like the late Steve Allen.
Other LA stations also carried the live broadcast. Interesting how Channel 13's ad highlighted the shows whose stars were appearing in the parade. Hosted by Hobo Kelly? The event was renamed The Hollywood Christmas Parade in 1978 and the coverage switched over to KTLA Channel 5. In 2004, NBC aired an hour-long Blockbuster Hollywood Christmas Spectacular.
In 2010, the 79th annual parade will take place on Sunday, November 28, 2009 at 6 p.m. It will air nationally on local stations and on The Hallmark MOVIE Channel (It's a movie? Who knew?) on Dec. 15. The Grand Marshall for the 2010 parade is Larry King. Here's the official website.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thifty & Nifty Holiday Decorating the Dougsploitation Way!
From last Christmas Season...(with updates)
the Dougsploitation household is almost entirely decorated for the holiday season. This year, due to budget constraints that we're all facing, I've decided to spruce up my ornament and knickknack collection with some finds at thrift stores, 99 Cents Stores and by raiding my mother's garage on my last visit back home.
.
Since my theme is vintage & retro, what better place to start with an old family heirloom? This simple hand-painted glass ball is the last remaining of a set that belonged to my beloved grandmother. It was always a tradition to have grandma hang the first ornament on the family tree, and it was always this very decoration. I've continued this tradition this year in my home by placing this first on my brand new (cheaply purchased on hayneedle.com) white tree.
Speaking of cheap trees, this one came courtesy of JoAnn Fabrics clearance sale in 2008 for TWO DOLLARS. It was purchased as set dressing for a film I worked on in 2008 called PORNOGRAPHY: A THRILLER (now on on dvd). It now is a part of my annual holiday decor.
This silly Santa ball is an exact replica of one I purchased as a child at Rickel's Hardware in Staten Island, NY. The original was lost or possibly dismantled years ago, but I was happy as an elf to find this one (in mint condition!) last November in a thrift store outside of Phoenix, AZ for $3. The two elves beside him are new acquisitions from my friend Laura K's garage. I think they belonged to her late mother-in-law. I think they are just precious. (And not based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire) Thanks Laura!
Here's a batch of silly snowman purchased for a buck each at a Korean supermarket in Glendale.
They look like they were sitting in the store since 1975, which makes them all the better. These guess fit in great with my blue & silver Hanukkah display in my kitchen. Right next to my Jonathan Adler "dolls" canister.
Here's a Santa I rescued from my mom's garage. Purchased in the late 1970s, I'm so glad this guy has made it intact to Burbank.
Here's a duo that came from the aforementioned Korean supermarket. At a buck each, they don't look like much in their cellophane bags...but once hung on the tree...
Viola! How adorably festive is he now?
Courtesy of the Glendale Good Will, I came across this box of awesome UNBREAKABLE ornaments from the 1970s. The price? 99 Cents. The catch? One was shattered to bits!!! Unbreakable, my ass.
But check out this groovy box design.
And they came from Grant's Department Store in New York!!! The same place I got my first bicycle on Christmas morning almost 40 years ago! How cool yule is that?
I acquired this freakish ornament from a small hardware store in San Fransisco about ten years ago when I lived up there. SF is one of the best places in the world to spend the holidays.
This little guy I've had for over 30 years. He was my first rocking horse ornament in a collection that grew to over 100. I donated many of them to charity a few years back, but I could not bring myself to let go of this sweetie pie.
This retro Santa I bought last weekend at Macy's for $1.50! There's two others in the series. What a deal. It's a like a Miracle on Magnolia Ave.
Here's another After Christmas sale clearance item - I believe he was $3 at K-Mart. His retro look is a perfect fit for my kitchen window display, which includes...
these amazing candles designed by my talented friend, the fabulous Madeline Long, also known Shelley Winters from Dennis Hensley's MISMATCH GAME and can now be seen as Ribina Champagne's Bible-thumping friend Bernadette starting on episode 2.5 of PRETTY. So there you have it - a quick look at how I've decked my hall cheaply and with a Dougsploitation twist!
the Dougsploitation household is almost entirely decorated for the holiday season. This year, due to budget constraints that we're all facing, I've decided to spruce up my ornament and knickknack collection with some finds at thrift stores, 99 Cents Stores and by raiding my mother's garage on my last visit back home.
.
Since my theme is vintage & retro, what better place to start with an old family heirloom? This simple hand-painted glass ball is the last remaining of a set that belonged to my beloved grandmother. It was always a tradition to have grandma hang the first ornament on the family tree, and it was always this very decoration. I've continued this tradition this year in my home by placing this first on my brand new (cheaply purchased on hayneedle.com) white tree.
Speaking of cheap trees, this one came courtesy of JoAnn Fabrics clearance sale in 2008 for TWO DOLLARS. It was purchased as set dressing for a film I worked on in 2008 called PORNOGRAPHY: A THRILLER (now on on dvd). It now is a part of my annual holiday decor.
This silly Santa ball is an exact replica of one I purchased as a child at Rickel's Hardware in Staten Island, NY. The original was lost or possibly dismantled years ago, but I was happy as an elf to find this one (in mint condition!) last November in a thrift store outside of Phoenix, AZ for $3. The two elves beside him are new acquisitions from my friend Laura K's garage. I think they belonged to her late mother-in-law. I think they are just precious. (And not based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire) Thanks Laura!
Here's a batch of silly snowman purchased for a buck each at a Korean supermarket in Glendale.
They look like they were sitting in the store since 1975, which makes them all the better. These guess fit in great with my blue & silver Hanukkah display in my kitchen. Right next to my Jonathan Adler "dolls" canister.
Here's a Santa I rescued from my mom's garage. Purchased in the late 1970s, I'm so glad this guy has made it intact to Burbank.
Here's a duo that came from the aforementioned Korean supermarket. At a buck each, they don't look like much in their cellophane bags...but once hung on the tree...
Viola! How adorably festive is he now?
Courtesy of the Glendale Good Will, I came across this box of awesome UNBREAKABLE ornaments from the 1970s. The price? 99 Cents. The catch? One was shattered to bits!!! Unbreakable, my ass.
But check out this groovy box design.
And they came from Grant's Department Store in New York!!! The same place I got my first bicycle on Christmas morning almost 40 years ago! How cool yule is that?
I acquired this freakish ornament from a small hardware store in San Fransisco about ten years ago when I lived up there. SF is one of the best places in the world to spend the holidays.
This little guy I've had for over 30 years. He was my first rocking horse ornament in a collection that grew to over 100. I donated many of them to charity a few years back, but I could not bring myself to let go of this sweetie pie.
This retro Santa I bought last weekend at Macy's for $1.50! There's two others in the series. What a deal. It's a like a Miracle on Magnolia Ave.
Here's another After Christmas sale clearance item - I believe he was $3 at K-Mart. His retro look is a perfect fit for my kitchen window display, which includes...
these amazing candles designed by my talented friend, the fabulous Madeline Long, also known Shelley Winters from Dennis Hensley's MISMATCH GAME and can now be seen as Ribina Champagne's Bible-thumping friend Bernadette starting on episode 2.5 of PRETTY. So there you have it - a quick look at how I've decked my hall cheaply and with a Dougsploitation twist!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas from Doug
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Hey Readers - thanks for following my wacky little blog the past few years. During the next twelve days I will be rerunning the Twelve Days of Christmas images I created last year. I will be returning on January 7, 2010 with lots of new and cool stuff. I hope all your holidays are happy.
I dedicate this post to the lovely Yvonne King who passed away earlier this week. Please visit the King Family website for a loving tribute.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Creepy Santa Door Panel
I bought a vintage holiday decoration at an antique mall in Arizona last weekend.
It's 6 feet tall and made of waterproof vinyl and is still in its original package. My guess is that it came from the 1970s. The front of the package depicts an actual picture of the entire product, but if you flip it over you see:
ARRRRGGGGHHHH! Ohmygod - Santa what's happened to you? Has your years of hard working and drinking caught up with you? Do you suffer from constant rosacea or are you sun burnt? Can I get you some aloe vera? Poor Saint Nick, I hope you're not in too much pain. The question is - do I keep you in your package or proudly display you in all your redfaced glory this holiday season?
It's 6 feet tall and made of waterproof vinyl and is still in its original package. My guess is that it came from the 1970s. The front of the package depicts an actual picture of the entire product, but if you flip it over you see:
ARRRRGGGGHHHH! Ohmygod - Santa what's happened to you? Has your years of hard working and drinking caught up with you? Do you suffer from constant rosacea or are you sun burnt? Can I get you some aloe vera? Poor Saint Nick, I hope you're not in too much pain. The question is - do I keep you in your package or proudly display you in all your redfaced glory this holiday season?
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Day After Thanks...
When I was a kid, something I always looked forward to on the day after Thanksgiving was when ABC (and later CBS also) filled their Friday schedule with episodes of all their Saturday morning cartoon favorites.
Yeah, they were the same old crappy mix of badly animated shows you could see on any given Saturday, but somehow having them air on a Friday made them seem really special. The local ABC station also added to the fun by show two of my favorite animated features over the holiday weekend...
HEY THERE IT'S YOGI BEAR (1964), which featured Yogi's Southern belle girlfriend Cindy Bear.
and THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE which features some great music, including a fun James Bond-like theme song. These two feature-length Hanna-Barbara took our Saturday-morning TV favorites and and gave them some big screen exposure. This tradition seems to have flourished as Nickekodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel favorites now regularly appear in straight-to-dvd features in this mold. 
In fact this morning, I awoke to TWEETY'S HIGH-FLYING ADVENTURE, a cute all-star Warner Bros. musical farce featuring cameos by about two dozen Looney Tunes characters. It's pretty fun to see Sylvester interact with Pepé LePew and Penelope Pussycat, especially when it seems that Pepé is suggesting a three-way with the puddy tats! Boy, times have changed!
Yeah, they were the same old crappy mix of badly animated shows you could see on any given Saturday, but somehow having them air on a Friday made them seem really special. The local ABC station also added to the fun by show two of my favorite animated features over the holiday weekend...
HEY THERE IT'S YOGI BEAR (1964), which featured Yogi's Southern belle girlfriend Cindy Bear.
and THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE which features some great music, including a fun James Bond-like theme song. These two feature-length Hanna-Barbara took our Saturday-morning TV favorites and and gave them some big screen exposure. This tradition seems to have flourished as Nickekodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel favorites now regularly appear in straight-to-dvd features in this mold. 
In fact this morning, I awoke to TWEETY'S HIGH-FLYING ADVENTURE, a cute all-star Warner Bros. musical farce featuring cameos by about two dozen Looney Tunes characters. It's pretty fun to see Sylvester interact with Pepé LePew and Penelope Pussycat, especially when it seems that Pepé is suggesting a three-way with the puddy tats! Boy, times have changed!
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