Kodachrome Memories series banner

Kodachrome Memories #6: See the Sights of Nashville

Here’s a neat slide from what I assume was somebody’s vacation to Nashville, Tennessee sometime in the 1970s. All I really have to go by for that date guess are the partial car views we get. Most prominent in this slide is the tour bus for country music legend Ernest Tubb. We also see signs for other tourist traps like Loretta Lynn’s Western Store, Tubb’s record shop, and Eddie & Joe’s Putter Place.

If anyone can provide a date for this slide, let me know in the comments.

Kodachrome Memories #6: See the Sights of Nashville

KCEN-TV (Temple/Waco, TX)

Film at 11: A Gallery of Vintage TV News Program Ads

Sometimes I know that a post I’m putting together is destined to get 20 views if I’m lucky. But I have to follow my muse wherever she may lead me, and today she leads me to TV newsrooms across the country.

I can’t say exactly why, but I find these old advertisements for network TV news programs to be just so… quaint? Charming? I don’t quite know how to put it. I just love how much these ads convey what it must have been like to watch the news back in the day — not slick in the least. Just a bunch of square white men (and sometimes white women) reading the day’s events.

And now the news of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s…

WOKR (Rochester, NY), 1969

WOKR (Rochester, NY), 1969

WCAX (Burlington, VT), 1973

WCAX (Burlington, VT), 1973

KGO-TV (San Francisco, CA), 1971

KGO-TV (San Francisco, CA), 1971

WKTV (Utica/Rome, NY), 1973

WKTV (Utica/Rome, NY), 1973

WCTV (Thomasville/Tallahassee, FL), 1975

WCTV (Thomasville/Tallahassee, FL), 1975

 

WMAL-TV (Washington, D.C.), 1975

WMAL (Washington, D.C.), 1975

WTVM-TV (Columbus, GA), 1975

WTVM (Columbus, GA), 1975

WTVO-TV (Rockford, IL), 1959

WTVO (Rockford, IL), 1959

WTEN-TV (Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY)

WTEN (Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY), 1960

WPRO-TV (Providence, RI)

WPRO (Providence, RI), 1962

WTHI-TV (Terra Haute, IN)

WTHI (Terra Haute, IN), 1963

KCEN-TV (Temple/Waco, TX)

KCEN (Temple/Waco, TX), 1964

KCRG-TV (Cedar Rapids, IA)

KCRG (Cedar Rapids, IA), 1966

WECT-TV (Wilmington, NC), 1967

WECT (Wilmington, NC), 1967

WFMY-TV (Greensboro, NC), 1967

WFMY (Greensboro, NC), 1967

WITN-TV (Eastern Carolina), 1967

WITN (Eastern Carolina), 1967

KCAU-TV (Sioux City, IA)

KCAU (Sioux City, IA), 1969

KELOland (Sioux Falls, SD), 1969

KELO (Sioux Falls, SD), 1969

WCHS-TV (Charleston/Huntington, WV)

WCHS (Charleston/Huntington, WV), 1969

WDEF-TV (Chattanooga, TN), 1969

WDEF (Chattanooga, TN), 1969

Vancouver World's Fair 1986

Vintage 20th Century World’s Fair Postcards (1958 – 1992)

Back for more, eh? As the follow-up to my set of World’s Fair postcards covering the first half of the 20th century, here is the second half. This set picks up with Expo 58 in Brussels, which marked the first World’s Fair held after World War II.

Expo 58 (Brussels, Belgium)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Expo 58 (Brussels)

Brussels World Exhibition map

Century 21 Exposition (Seattle, 1962)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Seattle (1962)

(via Drive-In Mike)

1964 New York’s World Fair

Vintage World's Fair postcard - New York (1964/65)

(via The Pie Shops)

Expo 67 (Montreal)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Montreal (1967)

The Kaleidoscope Pavilion

(via The Pie Shops)

HemisFair ’68 (San Antonio, Texas)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - San Antonio (1968)

(via zawleski)

Expo ’70 (Osaka, Japan)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Expo '70 (Osaka, Japan)

British Pavilion: “Suspended from four giant steel masts 34 meters tall, this pavilion will appear as if it is floating in the air. Inside the pavilion will introduce Britain’s history and industries.”

(via Duncan Brown)

Expo ’74 (Spokane, Washington)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Spokane (1974)

Washington State Pavilion

(via The Pie Shops)

Expo ’75 (Okinawa, Japan)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Expo '75 (Okinawa, Japan)

Mitsubishi Pavilion

(via World’s Fair Photos)

1982 World’s Fair (Knoxville, Tennessee)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Knoxville (1982)

1984 Louisiana World Exposition (New Orleans)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - 1984 Louisiana World Exposition

Expo ’85 (Tsukuba, Japan)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Expo '85 (Tsukuba, Japan)

Gas Pavilion

(via World’s Fair Photos)

Expo 86 (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Expo 86 (Vancouver)

World Expo 88 (Brisbane, Australia)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - World Expo 88 (Brisbane, Australia)

Seville Expo ’92

Vintage World's Fair postcard - World Expo '92 (Seville, Spain)

International Exhibition Genoa ’92

Vintage World's Fair postcard - International Exhibition Genoa '92 Colombo '92

Vintage World's Fair postcard - New York (1939)

Vintage 20th Century World’s Fair Postcards (1900 – 1940)

Getting to a World’s Fair is definitely one of the items on my bucket list. But until I can attend one in person, I guess the next best thing will have to be to look at some vintage World’s Fair postcards. The selection I present here spans every officially sanctioned and recognized fair and exposition from the first half of the 20th century. Due to the outbreak of World War II, there were no fairs held between 1941 and 1957. The next part of this overview (to be published later) will pick up with Expo 58 and run through Expo ’98.

Exposition Universelle (Paris, 1900)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Paris (1900)

Petit Palais

(via)

Pan-American Exposition (Buffalo, 1901)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Buffalo (1901)

The Stadium

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis, 1904)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - St. Louis (1904)

Varied Industries Building

(via Brenda)

Liège International (Belgium, 1905)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Liège (1905)

The Munich Building

(via alanp_photo)

Milan International (1906)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Milan (1906)

Irish International Exhibition (Dublin, 1907)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Dublin (1907)

(via)

Jamestown Exposition (Norfolk, 1907)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Jamestown Exposition (1907)

History and Historic Arts. Auditorium. Education and Social Economy Building.

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (Seattle, 1909)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition (1909)

United States Government and Hawaiian Building

 Brussels International 1910

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Brussels (1910)

Visit from the King and Queen of Belgium

Turin International (1911)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Turin (1911)

Monumental Bridge and the Pavilion of Paris

(via)

Exposition Universelle et Internationale (Ghent, 1913)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Ghent (1913)

La Section Française‎ (The French Section)

Panama–Pacific International Exposition (San Francisco, 1915)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - San Francisco (1915)

Great South Gardens

(via)

Panama–California Exposition (San Diego, 1915)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - San Diego (1915)

Downtown Plaza and U.S. Grant Hotel

(via)

Independence Centenary International Exposition (Rio de Janeiro, 1922-23)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Rio de Janeiro (1922)

Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 (Seville, Spain)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Seville (1929)

Mexican Pavilion

1929 Barcelona International Exposition

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Barcelona (1929)

Exposition of 1930 (Liège)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Liège (1930)

Entrance Doors, North Sector

International Colonial Exposition, Maritime and Flemish Art (Antwerp, 1930)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Antwerp (1930)

Pavilion of the French Colonies

A Century of Progress International Exposition (Chicago, 1933-34)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Chicago (1933/34)

General Motors Building

Brussels International Exposition (1935)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Brussels (1935)

International Exposition Dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life (Paris, 1937)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Paris (1937)

1939 New York World’s Fair

Vintage World's Fair postcard - New York (1939)

The 14-Ton Giant Underwood Master (Typewriter) Operating Daily

(via)

1939 International Exposition (Liège)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - Liège (1939)

The Palace of Germany

(via)

Golden Gate International Exposition (San Francisco, 1939-40)

Vintage World's Fair postcard - San Francisco (1939/40)

Night View of Treasure Island, Magic City of Golden Gate International Exposition on San Francisco Bay

(via Shook Photos)
29 Palms

Road Trip! — Ten Songs Inspired by Real Places

29 Palms

Many people are inspired by their favorite songs about places to visit the locations that inspired them. But don’t bother looking for 22 Acacia Avenue or Xanadu on Google Maps — they don’t exist anywhere but in their songwriters’ minds. Elsewhere, however, there are plenty of songs that were inspired by real places. Here are ten of them, should you feel the urge to make a pilgrimage.

(You can also check out this list on my Spotify playlist.)

#1. “Lakeside Park” — Rush

Port Dalhousie lighthouseRush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario and spent many youthful summers on the village’s most popular beach — Lakeside Park. Peart paid tribute in an atypically nostalgic song on Rush’s third album, 1975’s Caress of Steel.

Peart later reminisced about his Lakeside Park experiences in an interview for Traveling Music: “Another important setting in my childhood and early teens was Lakeside Park, in Port Dalhousie. When I was 14 and 15, I worked summers at Lakeside Park as a barker (‘Catch a bubble, prize every time,’ all day and night), and there was music: some of the kids brought transistor radios to work, and the music of that summer of 1966 played up and down the midway. At night, when the midway closed, we gathered around a fire on the beach, singing. Lakeside Park resonated in my life in so many deep ways, especially those fundamental exposures to music that would be forever important. It’s all gone now. All that’s left, apart from memories, is the old merry-go-round.”

#2. “Barrytown” — Steely Dan

Barrytown is a hamlet within the town of Red Hook, in southeast New York state. Steely Dan co-founders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker attended college at Bard College in nearby Annandale-on-Hudson. While there it seems they took note of town’s inhabitants, namely the members of Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church (“Moonies”), which opened a seminary there in the ’70s (“I can see by what you carry/that you come from Barrytown”). “Barrytown” appeared on Steely Dan’s 1974 LP Pretzel Logic.

#3. “29 Palms” — Robert Plant

The town of Twentynine Palms sits in the desert southeast of California and is home to both Joshua Tree National Park and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. It’s also the setting for a song from Robert Plant’s 1993 solo LP Fate of Nations. Plant has confirmed that he was inspired to write “29 Palms” while on tour with Canadian singer Alannah Myles in California in 1990, but has stopped short of confirming rumors that the two were a romantic item.

#4. “Elvira” — The Oak Ridge Boys

There are two important things to know about “Elvira.” The first is that although the Oak Ridge Boys had a hit with the song in 1981 (#1 U.S. Hot Country, #5 U.S. Hot 100), it was actually a cover of a song written by Dallas Frazier fifteen years earlier. The second is that Elvira refers not to a woman but to a street in East Nashville. The story goes that Frazier was the passenger in car driven by publisher Ray Baker, and he found inspiration when he saw the street sign for Elvira Ave. (off of US 31E, aka Gallatin Road or Gallatin Pike). However, there are no contemporary accounts of the road being “on fira” that day.

#5. “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” — R.E.M.

Mike Mills, R.E.M. bassist and co-founder, wrote this as a literal plea to his one-time girlfriend, Ingrid Schorr, to not return to her parents’ home in Rockville, Maryland. Schorr’s recounting of the song’s inspiration goes like this — “In the spring of 1980 I was at college in Athens, Georgia. My once-good grades had given way to behavior that my parents were starting to get wind of, and they instructed me to come back home to Maryland for the summer. I didn’t want to go. Everything in Athens was so… fresh and exciting. I had just started taking part in the innocent decadence that would sustain the scene for the next several years. And I was just beginning a romance with Mike Mills, the bass player in the weeks-old R.E.M. A few weeks before the end of spring quarter he said to me—we were at Tyrone’s, the local rock club, standing between the Rolling Stones pinball machine and the Space Invaders game, playing neither—’I finally meet a girl I like and she’s got to go back to Rockville.'”

#6. “Devil’s Island” — Megadeth

It would be easy to assume that “Devil’s Island,” from Megadeth’s 1986 album Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, is some sort of Satanic Club Med. It was in fact the site of an infamous French penal (and former leper) colony that operated from 1852 until 1952. The island lies roughly six nautical miles off the coast of French Guiana in South America, and housed thieves, murderers, and political prisoners for a century. More than 80,000 prisoners were sent to the island, many of whom were never heard from again. The island’s most famous resident was Alfred Dreyfus, who was convicted of treason and shipped there in 1895. Dreyfus was pardoned and released in 1899, and through him the French public learned of the horrors of Devil’s Island.

#7. “Penny Lane” — The Beatles

Penny LaneThe lyrics to “Penny Lane,” whimsical and nostalgic as they are, sure seem the stuff of fantasy. In fact there is a real Penny Lane in Liverpool, where the Fab Four were born. Paul McCartney (who wrote the song) and John Lennon often met at Penny Lane junction in the Mossley Hill area to catch a bus into the center of Liverpool.

In the ’50s and ’60s this was a significant bus terminus for several routes, and buses with “Penny Lane” displayed were common throughout Liverpool. The street itself is named after James Penny, an 18th century slave trader, and is an important landmark for Beatles fans — some of whom made an unfortunate habit of stealing signs bearing the road’s name.

#8. “Dead Man’s Curve” — Jan and Dean

While the term “dead man’s curve” has been applied to any number of dangerous turns, Jan & Dean’s Top 10 hit from 1964 refers to a drag race held on one in particular. The race (between a Corvette Sting Ray and a Jaguar XKE) starts at Sunset and Vine and heads west along West Sunset Blvd. for about seven miles, passing North La Brea Ave., North Crescent Heights Blvd., and North Doheny Dr. along the way. The North Whittier Drive curve, an almost ninety-degree right turn traveling west on Sunset Boulevard just past North Whittier Drive, is the dead man’s curve that results in the fiery crash heard in the song.

#9. “Soul Kitchen” — The Doors

As recounted by Doors drummer John Densmore in his book Riders on the Storm, the “Soul Kitchen” was a small soul food restaurant called Olivia’s. It was located at 2615 Main Street, at the intersection of Ocean Park Blvd. and Main in Santa Monica, and it was run by — you guessed it — Olivia, who cared not for late-dining patrons. Jim Morrison, who wrote the lyrics to the song, ate there often and had to be shooed out at closing time, inspiring him to write lines like “Well the clock says it’s time to close now/I know I have to go now/I’d really like to stay here all night… Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen/warm my mind near your gentle stove/turn me out and I’ll wander, baby/stumbling in the neon grove.”

#10. “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” — Charlie Parker

Camarillo State Mental HospitalThis is one of Bird’s greatest compositions, and certainly one of my favorites, but has a rather sad background. Parker, whose drug habit started when he was a teenager, dogged him throughout his all-too-brief life. Heroin was Parker’s drug of choice, but booze would do as well.

In 1946 an inebriated Parker set fire to the mattress in his California hotel room and ran into the lobby wearing nothing but his socks. He was arrested and sentenced to stay in Camarillo State Mental Hospital. When he emerged from the institution after six months he was (briefly) clean and wrote the song that bears the hospital’s name.

Camarillo State Hospital closed in 1997 and the buildings are now part of California State University, Channel Islands.

People found this post by searching for:

    "camarillo state mental hospital"

Retrotisements — Back to School edition

Back to school!

One of the few advantages to being out of school is that I don’t get to experience the huge buzzkill that occurs around mid-to-late summer, when the first Back to School ads start appearing. There you are, all happy and carefree when BAM! — you walk into the mall and see giant displays of backpacks, notebooks, and other implements that have absolutely no use outside of school.

So for the rest of the summer, you can’t quite enjoy yourself on the same level because there’s that little nagging reminder in your subconscious that any day now, it’s all over. See, I don’t have to deal with that anymore because I work for a living. Every day is like that, so eventually your soul is numbed and you kind of get used to it after awhile.

Anyway, here’s some ads to either get you back in the spirit of the days of forced primary education, or at least make you want to force a kid to watch them so they too can know your silent agony. Enjoy!

Woolworth

Well aren’t they just perfectly cheeky!

Mead Trapper & Trapper Keeper

I guess “Folder” and “Folder Holder” just don’t have the same ring to them. Get it? That’s a Trapper Keeper joke, people. You can’t get this kind of funny on just any old site.

Bic Roller pen (1981)


Because if you must demonstrate your coolness by writing a fan letter to the Bee Gees, you really have to choose a pen that will let you “go with the flow.” Whatever that means.

Sears


Wow, Toughskins pants and electric typewriters?!?!? Can we go now mom, can we?!?!?!

JCPenney

Oh my. So yeah, there was that.

“First Day” (McDonald’s)

Hey, I know that guy! It’s Terry’s brother from Just One of the Guys, right? He’s the one I used to get confused with Patrick Dempsey.

Hills Department Store

I’m totally down with local retail chain ads, even if they’re out of my area. This particular Hills (Check Us Out!)  appears to have been in Tennessee. The chain went away in 1999, so you’ll have to shop elsewhere for kids coordinates. Again, whatever that is.

JCPenney (again)

Oh JCPenney. While I am not interested in purchasing any of your Arizona Jeans, I do have a strong urge to watch an old episode of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose for some reason.

Back to School ’86

Just because this is such an awesome movie.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The 10 Deadliest Tornadoes in World History

In spite of all our technological advancements and so-called human ingenuity, we are ever at Mother Nature’s mercy. 2011’s deadly tornado in Joplin, Missouri — just one of many to strike the American Midwest that weekend — is a stark reminder of that fact. In total, more than 1,000 tornadoes touched down in the U.S. in April 2011 — the most active month on record.

But while the U.S. is home to the most tornadoes on a yearly basis, advances in research and early detection have helped reduce the number of fatalities from twisters. As a result, the list of the 20 deadliest tornadoes (or tornado outbreaks) ever contains just five from the United States. Here are the full top ten. Some of these totals are estimates of course, owing to time or lack of properly published information.

#1: Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh (April 26, 1989)

Wreckage from the Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh Tornado

Wreckage from the Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh Tornado

An estimated 1,300 people died from this tornado, which was a mile wide and cut a swath of destruction 50 miles long. The injuries were estimated to be around 12,000. Due to poor housing and construction standards, the tornado completely destroyed virtually every structure it touched. The death toll from this twister is nearly twice as high as the second-deadliest on this list.

#2: Madarganj to Mrizapur, Bangladesh (May 15, 1996)

Around 700 people perished and 30,000 homes were destroyed. Many of the victims were blown long distances — up to 0.9 miles — and found hanging in trees. In addition, softball-sized hail pounded the area.

#3: The Tri-State Tornado (March 18, 1925)

The Tri-State Tornado

The Tri-State Tornado

This is the most infamous tornado to hit the United States in the last century. The continuous 219-mile track it left was the longest ever recorded in the world.

Over three-and-a-half hours, the tornado traveled from southeastern Missouri, through Southern Illinois, then into southwestern Indiana. When it was over, 695 people were dead.

The twister was part of a larger outbreak that day that killed nearly 750 throughout Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.

#4: Manikganj, Singair and Nawabganj, Bangladesh (April 17, 1973)

Two cyclones joined to form one deadly tornado. Multiple villages were completely flattened, and 681 lost their lives (the unofficial death toll topped 1,000).

#5: Northeast suburbs of Dhaka, Bangladesh (April 14, 1969)

Two (or possible three) tornadoes struck and killed 600 people on this day. According to a government official upon his visit to the scene, “I saw what no amount of words could aptly describe. Damage was colossal. Tragedy was harrowing.”

#6: The Valletta Tornado (September 23, 1551 or 1556)

The deadliest cyclone of this age touched down as a waterspout in the Grand Harbour of Malta. Before making landfall it destroyed an entire armada of ships that was docked and waiting to sail into battle. At least 600 died.

Artist’s impression of the Sicily tornadoes (Chris Chatfield)

#7 (tie): Magura and Narail Districts, Bangladesh (April 11, 1964)

The Magura/Narail twister destroyed more than 30 villages and left 500 dead. All 400 villagers from Bhabanipur were never seen again and presumed dead. While the official death count was 280, hundreds went missing.

#7 (tie): Sicily, Italy (December 1851)

In December 1851, two waterspouts moved onshore at the western end of Sicily, becoming large, violent tornadoes. This was as a pair of tornadoes, but details are very scarce; it may have been a single multiple-vortex tornado. It remains the second deadliest tornado event in recorded European history.

#7 (tie): Madaripur and Shibchar, Bangladesh (April 1, 1977)

The cyclone that struck Madaripur and Shibchar also killed around 500 people, 43 of whom were found floating in the river. No buildings or trees were left standing.

#10: Belyanitsky, Ivanovo and Balino, Russia (June 9, 1984)

Details are not easy to come by, as this outbreak took place during the time of the Soviet Union. Research indicates that a group of tornadoes (a few of which may have been of F5 strength on the Fujita scale) hit western Russia. An estimated 400 died, but the total may be as high as 700. The area affected by the tornadoes covered an area of 400,000 square kilometers.

The Ivanovo tornado was one of the worst in Russian history. It killed 95 people over the course of its 81-mile journey. Several concrete reinforced structures were completely destroyed, about 1180 homes were also leveled by the half-mile wide twister.

People found this post by searching for:

    "biggest tornado in history", "worst tornadoes in history", "worst tornado ever", "deadliest tornadoes in the world", "biggest tornado ever", "top 10 worst tornadoes", "top 10 deadliest tornadoes in the world", "biggest tornado in the world"

The ’30s and ’40s in living color, Part 1

One of the really cool things about the internet is that now everyone who can get there can get access to a treasure trove of historical documents and photographs that were previously the domain of hardened researchers or supergeeks.  All you need is some time to spare and the desire to take a look at our country’s not-so-distant past, and some great stuff is there for the asking.  Case in point, the Library of Congress WPA poster gallery I highlighted a few years ago.

This time we’re going to look at something even cooler – highlights from a LoC collection of photographs from the 1930s and ’40s… in color!  While the subject matter isn’t necessarily scintillating on all these, the opportunity to see life as it really looked back then is a rare treat indeed.  Something about seeing a scene as pedestrian as a quiet street in color brings it to life in a that black and white photography can’t always do.  I find it a lot easier to immerse myself in the past when looking at it this way.

These photos were all taken between 1939 and 1944 by the United States Farm Security Administration (FSA) and later the Office of War Information (OWI).  Here’s a few of my favorites (click on a photo to see a larger version)…

I love the vividness of this one, taken in Tennessee in 1943.  The photo credit says this woman is operating a hand drill, but it looks like a rivet gun to me.

Read More

People found this post by searching for:

    "life in the 30s and 40s"

GFS at the movies: RiffTrax Live – Plan 9 from Outer Space

It’s been almost 10 years since the final episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 aired, but I’m happy to report that the legacy lives on.  Not just through a dedicated community of fans trading episodes, but through the creative forces behind the series.  There are actually two post-MST3K projects kicking around these days – Cinematic Titanic features MST3K originals Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu (Crow #1 & Dr. Clayton Forrester), J. Elvis Weinstein (Tom Servo #1), and Frank Conniff (TV’s Frank), as well as later addition Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester).  I’ve never seen any of their stuff to be honest, but then again I was never a huge Joel fan.

I have seen a fair number of works by RiffTrax, headed by former MST3K host and head writer Michael J. Nelson, as well as Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo #2 & Observer) and Bill Corbett (Crow #2 & Professor Bobo).   It’s pretty much a continuation of latter-day MST3K in terms of humor, just without the iconic silhouettes and skits.

RiffTrax also differs from both MST3K and Cinematic Titanic in that it is available as audio-only tracks, which means they don’t have to pay any licensing fees for the movies they make fun of.  This gives them the freedom to stray from the usual B-movie fare riff on more mainstream films like the Lord of the Rings trilogy or, more recently, Twilight.  But during last night’s special live performance of RiffTrax, the gang went back to their roots and brought forth a colorized version of the godfather of all awful movies – Ed Wood’s immortal Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Read More