In 1959, Fred Astaire danced on television with the odd choice of wearing a mask of Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman.
Toward the end of Fred Astaire’s successful film dancing career, he made several television specials in the 1950s and 1960s. In the second of the four specials, Another Evening with Fred Astaire, Astaire donned a mask of an unusual choice. In a dance sequence for the 1959 show, he performed as Mad Magazine‘s Alfred E. Neuman.
The dance creeps me out a bit, perhaps because the Neuman mask is such high quality. Astaire had the mask created by movie make-up man John Chambers, who did such great work on the Planet of the Apes films.
In the segment, Astaire dances to Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady.” The performance also features dancer and actress Barrie Chase with Astaire.
2021 Update: Unfortunately, the video of the dance is not currently available on YouTube. But the video below intercuts some of the Alfred E. Neuman dance scenes, putting it to a polka tune. So if you wish to get an idea of the dance, you can check out the video.
Apparently, folks do not really know why Astaire wanted to be a dancing Alfred E. Neuman, but the Mad Magazine fan in me likes it.
What do you think of Fred Astaire as Alfred E. Neuman? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Check out the new trailer for the upcoming movie Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Like The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), the sequel features Andy Serkis as the intelligent Caesar. Gary Oldman stars in the new film as the leader of humans who survived a plague a decade earlier. The surviving humans and the apes must reach a peace or go to war. It sounds similar to the plot of Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). Either way, the trailer looks cool, and I cannot wait to see this one too.
Jason Clarke and Keri Russell also star in the movie, directed by Matt Reeves. 20th Century Fox plans to release Dawn of the Planet of the Apes on July 11, 2014.
What is your favorite Planet of the Apes film? Leave your two cents in the comments.
If you grew up in the 1970s, you could not have missed singer-songwriter-actor-showman Paul Williams. He was everywhere. Williams wrote songs like “We’ve Only Just Begun,” the Oscar-winning “Evergreen” (co-written with Barbra Streisand), the theme to Love Boat, and the Muppet classic “Rainbow Connection.” He also wrote one of the first 45 rpm singles I bought as a kid, Three Dog Night’s “Just an Old Fashioned Love Song.” He appeared in movies like Smokey and The Bandit (1977) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
Additionally, Paul Williams was a regular on Johnny Carson’s late night show and appeared on many other TV shows like The Muppets. And, just as suddenly as he came into our lives and dominated TV, movies, and radio, he disappeared.
Director Stephen Kessler was a big fan of Williams as a child, and like many of us decades later, wondered what had happened to Williams and assumed he was dead. So he tracked down the singer, who was still touring in small venues, and began a documentary, Paul Williams Still Alive (2011).
The movie is not a straight-up documentary about the career of Paul Williams, as Kessler ends up being a part of the story of the film. Surprisingly for someone who was everywhere in popular culture at one time, Williams does not seem to embrace being in what is in some ways a modern reality show, with cameras following him every place he goes.
Williams is also somewhat resistant to analyzing his own life in front of the camera, putting off Kessler’s attempts to get Williams to discuss his feelings about how drugs affected his career. So we have lots of shots of Williams being slightly annoyed at the camera and Kessler’s digging.
Instead of deep introspection from Willimas, Kessler shows his own feelings about traveling with Williams in the Philippines (Kessler is scared, while Williams seems to soldier through every adversity). And Kessler tries to provoke a response from Williams by getting him to watch a talk show where Williams was obviously high.
How much you enjoy the film may depend on how you appreciate the focus on the director-subject relationship. It makes the movie a little less traditional and might engage some viewers more than a straight-up documentary. I appreciated the other part of the film that told us more about Paul Williams, his career, and his current life. But I must admit that it was the combination of the two film styles that told me other things about Paul Williams, such as the way he still perseveres and his refreshing desire to avoid revealing everything about himself.
While Williams rejects the opportunity for self-analysis, you still get to see what happened to one of the big icons of the 1970s and learn a little about the man indirectly. If you ever wondered what happened to Paul Williams, Paul Williams Still Alive is worth your time.
Other Reviews Because Why Should You Trust Me?Rotten Tomatoes reveals that critics liked Paul Williams Still Alive more than general audience members, giving the film a 97% critics rating and a 79% audience rating. Donald Liebenson at the Chicago Sun-Timesfound the movie interesting but was annoyed by the way the director inserted himself into the story. Meanwhile, Sodajerker has an audio interview with Paul Williams where Williams discusses his career and the documentary.
Don McLean revealed where he wrote and first performed “American Pie,” refuting a local legend.
In Grammy news, Adele, Kanye West, Bruno Mars, and Foo Fighters led the Grammy nominations. In other Grammy news, some pondered whether or not the Beach Boys will reunite at the Grammys. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was nominated for two Grammys and will compete with Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Finally, Sugarland joined Lady Gaga for a rousing performance of “You and I” at the Grammy Nominations Concert this week.
Hanson (i.e., The Hanson Brothers) are developing a beer named. . . “MMMHop.” I’m guessing the beer will stay with you for a long time in the same way the catchy song does.
In touring news, George Michael cancelled the remaining dates of his tour to recover from pneumonia. Meanwhile, The Red Hot Chili Peppers announced their first U.S. tour in nearly five years, starting Jan. 25.
It’s “either a misprint or a satire.” — Elvis Costello, commenting on $339.98 box set of a Costello performance. The New York Times reviewed a new biography of Ahmet Ertegun, the great founder and president of Atlantic Records.
A new book recounts how actress Hedy Lamarr contributed to the cell phone technology we use today. The New York Times reviewed the new DVD and Blu-ray of the classic and controversial film, Birth of a Nation.
Ken Russell, the director of Tommy, The Devils, and Altered States passed away. Watching each of those films in the movie theater were memorable events for me. RIP Mr. Russell.
New pictures were released of the fictional Mars in the upcoming John Carter.
I was sorry to hear that Roger Ebert’s recent incarnation of At the Moviesis going on hiatus. I enjoyed the show.
—— Other Pop Culture News ——
The Waltons reunited on The Today Show for their 40th Anniversary.
In The Office news, now you may buy Dunder Mifflin copy paper. Also, Stanley from The Office (Leslie David Baker) made a music video. In sadder Office-related news, comedian Patrice O’Neal, who also appeared periodically on The Office, passed away last week from complications of a stroke. RIP.
The inventor of the Jenos pizza roll and Chun King canned Chinese food, Jeno Paulucci, died on Thanksgiving. Chun King was the only time I encountered Chinese food as a kid, and, well, I have enjoyed several meals of nothing but pizza rolls. RIP Mr. Paulucci.
What were your thoughts on the pop culture stories of the week? Leave your two cents in the comments.
