Saints Use Five Penalty Goals To Capture European Challenge Cup Crown

At London:

Five penalty kicks (three points apiece) from fly-half Stephen Myler (whose pictured here) lifted Northampton of England to a 15-3 win over France's Bourgoin-Jallieu to win the European Challenge Cup title on Friday. Also pictured are happy Saints players with the prize.




Both Photos © Getty Images

Bowler Pops Sister In Match

Well, I hate to brag...........BUT,

I had one of my best bowling games ever today, beating my sister 150-86 at Lava Lanes in Medford, Oregon!

Leicester Tigers Cop Guiness Premiership Crown

At London:

Jordan Crane scored the only try of the contest as Leicester Tigers defeated London Irish 10-9 to win the Guiness Premiership title on Saturday.

What's Next: G.I. Joe TV?

What in Sam Hill is next?

Talk About Taking Their Football Seriously

If only the USFL (1983-85) had crowds like this in the spring.

Once Again, No Pro Football In The City Of Angels

Even when the Arena Football League is on hiatus, with the 2009 season having already been canceled, it can't remain intact.

End Of An Era

After some 30 years as an analyst for all of the big four broadcast networks, former Oakland Raiders hall of fame coach John Madden has called it a career.

Cris Collinsworth has been tapped to suceed coach Madden as Al Michaels' Sunday night broadcast partner on NBC.

Obituaries

Longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster and voice of NFL Films Harry Kalas passed away on Monday at age 73. He was discovered unconcious in the broadcasters' booth at Washington's Nationals Park and later pronounced dead.

Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark (The Bird) Fidrych was found dead in an apparent accident on his farm in Massachusetts at age 54.

Former Utah State, California, and Arizona State head football coach Bruce Snyder lost his 10-month battle with cancer at age 69.

Dominating Heels

At Detroit:

Ty Lawson dropped in 21 points, Wayne Ellington 19, and Tyler Hansbrough 18, as North Carolina dominated Michigan State 89-72 Monday night to lay claim to their fifth NCAA men's national basketball championship.

Time For A Viennese Waltz, Boys and Girls!

From the ABC Network premiere of The Lawrence Welk Show, which aired on July 2, 1955, here is the meistro and his Champagne Music Makers performing "Tres Jolie."





Yes, that's Lawrence dancing with Champagne Lady Alice Lon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UMA!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is the birthday of America's Sweetheart, Fox News Channel anchorwoman Uma Pemmaraju.

Happy 29th Birthday, Uma!!!

It's Rock 'N' Roll, Champagne Style!

Several weeks back, I embeded a YouTube video of a 1955 ABC telecast of the Lawrence Welk Show that originated from Chicago. Here's another clip from this episode as the Champagne Music Makers perform Chuck Berry's "Maybelline."



Key Personnel:

Buddy Merrill, electric guitar (Let's see him try Chuck's duck walk!)

Myron Floren, accordion

Johnny Klein, drums

Buddy Hayes, bass

Pete Lofthouse, trombone

Bill Page, clarinet

George Aubry, saxophone

Rocky Rockwell, trumpet

Oh Boy! Redux

Here is the only other reported surviving episode of the British TV series Oh Boy!

This is the series finale from May 30, 1959.

Segment One:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- TV Hop (Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Bill Forbes & Dickie Pride)
Rip It Up (2 Vernons Girls)
Lonesome Traveller (4 of Lord Rockingham's XI + Cliff et al)

-- Rah Rah Rockingham (Lord Rockingham's XI)

-- Let's Rock While the Rockin's Good (Cuddly Dudley)

-- Don't Knock Upon My Door (Billy Fury)

-- Looby Doo (Cherry Wainer)

-- All American Boy (Marty Wilde)



Segment Two:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- Slippin 'n' Slidin' (Dickie Pride)

-- When I Grow Too Old To Dream (Peter Elliott)

-- When the Saints Go Marching In (Complete cast for close of first half)

-- I Had A Dream (Start of 2nd half with Vernons Girls & Dallas Boys)

-- Woman From Liberia (Bill Forbes)

-- Dirty Old Town (Mike Preston)





Segment Three:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- Turn Me Loose (Cliff Richard)

-- Good Cat (Neville Taylor & The Cutters)

-- Percy Green (Don Lang)

-- Three Cool Cats (Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Dickie Pride)

-- Early in the Morning (Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard)

Oh, Boy!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear.  Those of you in Great Britain (or who lived there during the late 1950s)  who are old enough to remember, may remember a show entitled Oh, Boy! that aired on ITV, a commercial television network during 1958 and 1959.  Kinescopes of eight episodes aired here in the US on ABC during the summer of 1959.  Here is the episode from April 4. 1959.

Segment One:

Compered by Tony Hall (a Jazz critic)

1. It's Late (Dean Webb) 
He's My Own (2 Vernons Girls) 
Good Rockin' Tonight (The Cutters & Entire Cast.) 

2. Long Gone (Lord Rockingham's XI) 

3. Charlie Brown (Neville Taylor & The Cutters)

4. Oh Wait For It Baby (Cherry Wainer) 

Segment Two:

Compered by Tony Hall

1. I Like Love (Tony Sheridan and his Wreckers) 

2. Don't Look Now (The Vernons Girls) 

3. Red Planet Rock (Don Lang - with Red Price on sax solo)

4. Slippin' n' Slidin' (Dickie Pride) 

5. This is Our First Anniversary (Lorie Mann)

Segment Three:

Compered by Tony Hall

1. Move It! (Chris Andrews) 

2. Dirty Old Town (Mike Preston) 

Tony Hall introduces Brenda Lee's first UK TV appearance;

3. Humming The Blues Over You (Brenda Lee) 

4. Wont You Come Home Bill Bailey (Brenda Lee & Lord Rockingham's XI)

This series was produced by Jack Good, who formerly produced 6:5 Special for the BBC,  and who also produced Shindig! here in the States on ABC  from 1964 to 1966.  38 episodes of this show were produced, but only two of them are reported to be still in existance.

It's Music Time, Again, Boys and Girls!

Here is a 1950 recording by Mel Cox and his Flying X Ranchboys on the King Records label, which was based at the time in Cincinnati.  It's a good jumpin' instrumental titled "Guitar Jump."  

Mel and the boys were in rare top form  in this one.

Other Country and Western artists who recorded for King Records at the time included Cowboy Copas, Moon Mullican, Grandpa Jones, and the York Brothers.

Enjoy!

Time For A Tune

Here is a video I took today. This is an Imperial Records 78RPM disk of Billy Briggs singing his own composition, "Chew Tobacco Rag." The record was made around 1950. I bought it at a flea market in 1977. Enjoy.


Even though Billy's record did not make the country charts, there were cover versions recorded by artists such as Pee Wee King, Spade Cooley, and Lucky Millinder.

ALOHA!

Here are Lawrence Welk and his Champagne Music Makers as seen on the October 10, 1959 telecast of The Lawrence Welk Show. This program originated from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu. The number features lead violinist Dick Kesner performing "Hawaiian Paradise" on his magic Stradivarius violin. Roughly 46 seconds into the video, while Dick performs, you would see in the background, a 1960 Dodge station wagon. Dodge was still the sponsor of the Welk show. In fact, this episode marked the world premiere showing of the 1960 Dodge and 1960 Dodge Dart.

And Now, A Word From Our Alternate Sponsor

The year is 1957, and here is a commercial for Tootsie Roll, as seen on a telecast of the Howdy Doody Show.




In June, 1956, Howdy and the gang were exiled from weekday afternoons to Saturday mornings because they were getting clobbered ratingswise at the hands of ABC's Mickey Mouse Club. At the time of this broadcast excerpt, the show was still televised live, but by late 1957 or early 1958, they began taping ten shows (in one week) per month. In case you're wondering, that's budding jazz musician Lew Anderson in the role of Clarabell.

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

The year is 1950, and here is an advertisement for 3 Musketeers as seen during a live telecast of the Howdy Doody Show.






Buffalo Bob Smith sure knew how to sell a product. And yes, that was TV's future Captain Kangaroo himself, Bobby Keeshan, as Clarabell the Clown.

FBN On Dish Network

The Fox Business Network (which went on the air on October 15, 2007) was finally added to the Dish Network lineup last Tuesday (February 3) on Channel 206. It is also available in HD.