The View From the Phlipside

These are the scripts from my weekly media commentary program on WRFA-LP Jamestown


My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the movies and more. I love 'em and I hate em' and I always have an opinion. Call this the view from the Phlipside

Time to note the passing of another media icon. To me he was always one of the more perplexing stars but a star he was. Last week we lost Soupy Sales.

It's easy to roll our eyes at the mention of Soupy. His comedy was a very old fashioned style, even back in the 1950's when he first began his rise to fame. Sales was classic vaudevillian with the crazy characters, funny voices and the multiple levels of meaning. He really made his fame as the host of a childrens TV show known variously as the 12 O'clock Comics, Lunch with Soupy Sales and the Soupy Sales Show. Along with longtime characters Pookie, Black Tooth and White Fang (a character he developed while in the Navy during World War II) he later parlayed his ad libbed humor, versatile voice and malleable face into a long career as guest star and game show panelist. He also served for a short time as the buffer program between Imus in the Morning (who disliked Sales) and Howard Stern's afternoon program (Sales disliked Stern despite Howard claiming him as a childhood hero) on WNBC in New York.

For me Soupy was always associated with New York so I was very surprised to discover that he was born Milton Supman in North Carolina. The Supmans, the only Jewish family in town, ran the local dry goods store where they sold sheets to the local Ku Klux Klan. Their last name was commonly mispronounces SOUP-man so they nicknamed their three sons Hambone, Chickenbone and Soupbone. Soupbone, later shortened to Soupy, stuck.

But what about the pie in the face you're saying? Of course no mention of Sales can omit his signature gag. Again this is a classic old bit that goes back years before Soupy. But when you take over twenty thousand it really does become your bit. Sales took them in the face, on top of his head, two at once on either side of his head, and walked into them. It became such a big deal (at one point Sales was one of the most popular comedians in America) that stars like Sammy Davis Jr, Mickey Rooney and even Frank Sinatra lined up to be on the show and get hit with a pie.

There are plenty of other stories about Soupy. The bit where he told kids to sneak into their parents rooms and send him some of those funny green papers in the wallets, his abrupt replacement on WNBC in mid-show, and the long standing and utterly false claim that Sales did dirty jokes on his childrens program. He loved Jazz and showcased it on TV shows. In the end we need to remember the comedian who was so much more than just a pie in the face.

Soupy Sales died last week in the Bronx at the age of 83.



Call that the view from the Phlipside

R.I.P. Mary Travers

I grew up in a household that played a lot of folk music. In fact while ours was not a family that played a lot of music (till "The Boys" became teens and started playing "our" music) I don't remember much of any other kind of music being played. So being a child of the 60's I heard a lot of Peter, Paul and Mary.

And that was just fine with me.

Mary Travers is the reason why I have a little bit of a "thing" for girls with bangs and long blonde hair (that and the very cool friend of my parents who reminded me of Mary Travers. Always had a bit of little boy's crush on her too).

I love the optimism of the music. I love the energy. I love the intelligence and the questions that the music lifts up. I'm struggling along trying to learn to play guitar for one reason and one reason alone, so I can play folk music.

And Mary Travers stands at the center of all of that. I loved the sound of Peter, Paul and Mary. The music helped to form my concepts of social justice, peace and freedom. Call me an aging hippie if you like (you'd be wrong, I was too young to be a hippie and my parents raised me to be far too "straight") but I believe the political discourse of today could stand some of those sentiments. Let me also say that I accept that some of the lack of civility in today's discourse also stems from that time. However American political discourse has ALWAYS been loud and rude. At the moment I'm far more concerned about the lack of optimism that the lack of civility.

It seems like I've wandered from my paean to Mary Travers but I think not. My bet is that she'd be pleased that even in death she inspired someone to care, to speak out and dream. She did all of those things for me.

Mary Travers, born in Kentucky to journalists and trade unionists, who left school in the 11th grade to follow her dream of singing, who sang back up for Pete Seeger (another musical hero), and made up one third of the most popular folk group of the 1960's, died from complications related to the chemotherapy she was receiving for leukemia. She was 72.

And I still have a bit of that school boy crush. Here's one of my favorites:

A matter of importance

I see lots of folks getting all in a lather about the announcement of David Carradine's death.

I would like to remind you that today is the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmin Square massacre and one of the great images of individual resolution ever seen.

I know that the phrase Tianamin Square massacre isn't always used any more since very few people died actually in the square. But many people died in the vicinity of the square in action related to what had been happening there. I'm comfortable with the characterization.

David Carradine, 1936-2009 R.I.P.

Peace

R.I.P. Lee McKinley Davenport

How can it hurt this much?

I met Lee, face to face, exactly once. It was no longer than it takes to eat breakfast and share a few stories. That's it. The rest of our friendship was done virtually through Beliefnet, our blogs and Facebook. There were lots of great conversations and a couple times when we were royally PO-ed with each other. Just like any friendship.

In a lot of ways we didn't have a lot in common. Southern boy-northern boy, he always said he was "nose bleed high church Episcopal" and me, well my favorite photo from a Eucharist shows a kid leaning an elbow on the altar. Pretty casual. I've been lucky to only have minor health issues, Lee had some whoppers. I could go on but our differences weren't the point. Lee was a bright, articulate guy with the same love for words I've always had. And that was enough.

We actually met right around the day he had his diagnosis, might have even been the day he was going to see the doctor. What I remember is that he wasn't in a real good mood but did his best for us. The kid and I were down in Lee's neck of the woods on a college trip and we arranged to meet our two friends, Lee and Kim. It's always interesting to meet online friends.

I was lucky enough to be included in Lee's circle when times got really hard and he needed folks he could trust. I'll treasure that trust as my most important memory and gift from Lee.

His life ended Sunday March 29, 2009. Too damn early. He was a full decade younger than me. He leaves behind family and friends for whom the pain is much sharper than it is for me. If it hurts this much for me I can not imagine their feelings.

Pray for Lee's wife Dawn and his parents.
Pray for comfort for Lee's friends, especially Kim.
Pray especially for Lee's children Ian and Bea.

R.I.P. Majel Barrett Roddenberry

There's no way I was going to pass this up. Majel Barrett Rodenberry died yesterday at age 76 of leukemia. The "First Lady of Star Trek" was the only actor to appear on every Star Trek version including the movie to be released next year. Any Star Trek fan can tell you she was Number One in the pilot, Christine Chapel (who was in love with Spock. Ironic since the network had demanded Roddenberry get rid of her character and she was replaced by Spock. The network didn't like his character any better but let Roddenberry have his way. Turned out to be a good thing), she was also commonly the voice of the computer on the Enterprise and Voyager, and played Lwaxana Troi. The contrast between the characters of Troi and Chapel was fascinating. Christine was very uptight and repressed while Lwaxana was sexually aggressive.

What I didn't know was that she also had connections with Lucille Ball (hometown girl here in Jamestown). Lucy met her early in Barrett's career, liked her, signed her to a Desilu contract and taught her comedy technique. Barrett appeared in episodes of "I Love Lucy", "Bonanza", "Leave It To Beaver" and "The Untouchables" among others.

She married Roddenberry following the cancellation of the original show. She worked as executive producer on several programs, made a variety of guest appearances and ran the company that oversaw the Star Trek legacy after Gene Roddenberry's death in 1991.

Star Trek fans will get one last chance to hear her iconic voice in the next movie. She had completed the voice over work just days before she died.

Thank you Majel.

R.I.P. Harvey Korman

I grew up watching the Carol Burnett show, the last of the great TV variety shows. In the midst of the madness was always Harvey Korman. Korman passed away yesterday from complications following an aneurysm. He was 81 years old.

Korman was vital to the comedy of two of the great physical comedians of the 20th Century - Carol Burnett and Tim Conway. A truly great straight man will never get the credit he deserves. Korman was one of the greatest straight men of all time. He brought a suave, smooth presence to the outrageous work of his co-workers. It was clear that Harvey was up for just about anything.

Korman's career began in 1960 and stretched into last year. He was nominated for six Emmys and won four. He was also nominated for four Golden Globes and won once. Next to his work on The Carol Burnett Show his best known and loved work was in the movies of Mel Brooks. Hedley LaMarr from "Blazing Saddles" is a role worth watching over and over again. As always Harvey's character is the closest thing to a sane center to be found in the swirling insanity of a Brooks film.

But my favorite moments were when Harvey and Tim Conway worked together. You waited to see who would crack first. These are classic moments(And I'm not alone. Korman and Conway have spent the last couple years on tour together just being the kind of fall down funny silly they raised to a high art)

Thank you Harvey for so many laughs. What better way to remember him than a classic Harvey and Tim sketch "The Dentist Sketch"

April 4, Shot rings out in the Memphis sky...

April 3, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech that includes on of the most stirring paragraphs I've ever heard. Add to it just a frisson of foreshadowing:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

The nation lost a great leader.
Peace

R.I.P. Arthur C Clarke

Scientist, author, visionary, scuba diver, Oscar nominee, President of the International Space University and knight of the realm. Only a few of the words to describe the man best known for writing "2001 - A Space Odyssey".
As a science fiction fan Clarke stood among the elite, the very top echelon of the genre. Isaac Asimov certainly out produced him (of course Asimov wrote more books than some countries), Robert Heinlein probably out sold him. It's hard to imagine anyone else at this level. (I can hear the SciFi fans getting wound up. Bring me anyone else that had this level of production, this kind of sweeping vision and who profoundly altered the landscape of the genre and we'll talk)

Clarke came up with the idea of communication satellites at a time when no one would even consider such ideas (he was turned down by at least one publication because the idea was considered too "fanciful"). Geo-synchronous orbits are referred to as Clarke orbits.

My favorite books of his include - 2001, Rendezvous with Rama, Tales from the White Hart(sci-fi and mystery and wordplay!)and Childhood's End.

A great loss.

Clarke was undecided on the subject of God in his lifetime but not a fan of religion. I hope that God will take Clarke's good sense about religion into consideration when they meet.

Rest in Peace and thank you for the adventures you led me on.