Fridays Use To Be For A Partridge or 5

Back in the way long ago galaxy of 1970, 'tweens and teenyboppers were glued to The Partridge Family's first season on ABC. Me included. Yea, had a big ol' crush on David Cassidy. My love for David Cassidy began when I saw him in a Dr. Welby MD episode, where he played a diabetic. How cute he was! My passion for David burned after the light went out for Davy Jones, Sajid Khan, Bobby Sherman and before the lanterns of Merrill Osmond and brother Donny Osmond caught on. I digress. This was before cable, DVR, TiVO--all of that stuff. I mean, this was before Midnight Special made it special enough for TV to NOT sign off at midnight. Can you believe there ever was a day --er--- night like that?

Fast forward to this Friday. Just got off the phone with Movie Man. What a week this guy had. See, he was selected for jury duty on Monday. Not just some simple kinda jury thing. Oh no. Not my chum. Movie Man gets a capital murder case. Quite an adventure. Not quite all Perry Mason, Judd for the Defense (a TV show from the late 60's) or Boston Legal scenarios. I admire him. Not so sure I could get through it. I'd have to be Jury Person #7 that had to be excused. By the end of our chat, Movie Man and I were chuckling. We might do a movie tomorrow. Just wait and see.

In the meantime, since I know Movie Man partakes in my blog, I know he'll get a kick out of this. I've told him about this song sung by The Partridge Family in particular episode where there's a young Richard Pryor and Lou Gossett Jr. This was way before Richard in 'Silver Streak' and Lou in 'Roots' and don't even think of 'Officer and a Gentleman'. Now, don't blink or you'll miss Richard and Lou at the very start of the tune. This show aired in January 1971. Coincidence?

Cue the song that maybe could get you dancing, in a 1970's bubblegum kinda way: Bandala!

Hmm. After Movie Man views this, he might be GLAD he wasn't born until 1976. Oh well, cue it up anyway. :)

January 8, 1935 Was A Tuesday

Elvis Presley made his entrance on the world's stage--well, just Tupelo, Mississippi then. Today is his 74th birthday and the entire world remembers Elvis being on their stage. Granted, I wasn't a big Elvis fan. I may have been the wrong demographic. Alas, I saw those movies, and was jealous of some of those girls. I think my hormones started to pop in and out, because I did think Elvis was cute..for an older guy!

Elvis came through Iowa a few times, and I never ventured to a concert. He even performed in Des Moines on June 23, 1977--just two months shy of his passing. I remember my chums and couldn't decide if we should see him. After all he was so OLD! You talk about a big regret there!

In the Summer of '68, I vacationed in Los Angeles. Thoughts of the Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees and Sajid Khan, an actor that India gifted us with, laced my mind. Wouldn't it be something if I saw either one of my hearthrobs on the day my cousins had me in the back seat, as we sprang for a quarter or so for a map of the movie stars' homes? I know we drove around and honestly, I don't remember much. No Davy Jones or Sajid Khan, so who cared?

But then, as we drove through Beverly Hills, I noticed a beige Chevy with a Tennessee plate. It peaked my interest because, the car looked exactly like my parents' car back in Iowa. Except ours was blue. Plus what was a car with Tennessee plates doing in Beverly Hills? As we drove closer to the side of the Chevy, and I pondered this in my 10 year old brain, my cousin, Sue started to scream: "It's ELVIS! It's ELVIS!" Her husband, I remember kinda slowed down and tried to look out Sue's as he tried to not wreck any thing in Beverly Hills. When Sue screamed I looked up.

Sure enough! Elvis was behind the wheel of the Chevy. He smiled as he held an ice cream cone! My cousin instructed me to wave. Sue waved so hard and fast, I thought she might fly from the window. All the time she giggled like some teenybopper. But then Sue was only about 20 at the time. I waved at Elvis. Then I fell over in the seat, ELVIS! A REAL movie star!! I sprung back up, and we were still even with him. I stretched to see Priscilla on the passenger side. I want to say Elvis raised his ice cone to us. Just with the biggest smile on his face. He then accelerated and we just drove in silence. ELVIS! To relive that moment again, I'm sure we may have tried to get him to stop for a picture. What a memory that would've been.

Later on that Autumn, I was clueless about Elvis and and any comeback TV special. Thoughts of Davy Jones and Sajid Khan may have been back on my mind, or the newbie on the block, Bobby Sherman. As years ticked by, especially after Elvis passed. I saw bits and pieces of the show, and eventually the entire '68 Special. Saw how good and happy Elvis looked, draped in all black--that he was ready to take on the world. Maybe no more of those same kinda plot movies. And I'm sure, maybe not one Vegas jumpsuit was in Elvis' sight. When I feasted my eyes and ears as I watched Elvis perform this song on the '68 Special, I witnessed real passion when someone truly uses the gift God gave them.

Happy Birthday, Elvis. I'm sorry I missed your aquaintance.