Taxi

Taxi has always been one of my favorite shows. For me it holds up better than a lot of other 70's sitcoms that hung around way too long until they became pale imitations of their former selves. Taxi on the other hand lasted just five seasons all of them great. I even think their last season was better than their first which I can't say about many other shows in TV history.

The talent level both in front of and behind the camera was incredible. While you had comedy legends like Christopher Lloyd and Andy Kaufman delivering the lines, there was a hall of fame writing staff typing them out. People who would go on to create more TV classics like James Brooks and Sam Simon (The Simpsons), Glen Gordon Caron (Moonlighting), Glen and Les Charles (Cheers) and then there was David Lloyd who wrote for just about everything (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, Cheers, Frasier, etc, etc). David Lloyd died earlier this month which made me take a look back at his work and the shows I grew up watching. Taxi may not have even been his best work but when you combine it with all the other writers it becomes a once in a generation television landmark.

Anyway, here's a couple of my favorite moments from Taxi. And if anybody would like to get me the Taxi complete series DVD set I'll be your best friend for life. Just kidding. Maybe.

Unknown Hinson

I went through my video collection last night and uploaded another clip from The Unknown Hinson Show. You probably know him best as the voice of Early Cuyler on Squidbillies but in the 1990's he was a public access TV star in Charlotte, North Carolina. A friend in NC sent me tapes of his show and I've been a fan ever since.



I've also decided that from now on I'll use this blog as an extension of my YouTube account where I also go by Yamtastic. My goal is to go through my musty heap of old videotapes and put whatever I find worth saving online. My collection dates back to the mid-80s when I got my first VCR but I can't keep them forever even if I wanted to as tapes degrade over time. Hopefully by doing this blog and uploading more videos I'll be free of a lot of old videotapes that I won't have to break my back carrying the next time I move.

This girl cracks me up

You've gotta admire someone who'd make a life-size Barbie doll box just for a YouTube video.

Elections

I guess I should have posted this last night but it's still funny so who cares. Black Adder is comedy gold especially the third and fourth series.

WW2 Cartoons

I'm a fan of Hollywood's Golden Age which includes movies of course but I also love the cartoons of the period especially World War 2 themed ones. Film studios were at the peak of their power in the 1940's and I think it shows through in the quality of their work. Here's a few of my favorites.



Walt Disney made a lot of cartoons supporting the war effort. "Der Fuehrer's Face" and "Education For Death" are famous examples but I also like "The Spirit Of '43" starring Donald Duck which subtly reminds Americans to pay their income tax.



"Draftee Daffy" may be my all-time favorite Warner Bros cartoon. Besides the manic off-the-charts energy, it also shows Daffy's transformation from lovable psychotic to the cravenly coward he'd become in later Bugs Bunny shorts.



What's funnier than Hitler as a duck? How about Mussolini as a goose? Yeah, ducks were the default animated characters in that era. Back then nobody had the idea yet to create an animated character out of a sponge or a wad of hamburger meat.

The Axis powers had their own propaganda cartoons too. They didn't exactly have that Hollywood polish but the message comes through. Actually, I'm not sure if the message came through either. Watch these and decide for yourself.



This first one was made by the Nazi-supporting Vichy government of France. Mickey Mouse, Popeye and other American cartoon stars bomb the hell out of French civilians.



And this cartoon from Japan is a complete mystery. Who are the rats and snakes supposed to represent? Chinese? Americans? Imperialists in general? Your guess is as good as mine.

Crush The Castle

I guess there are worse ways to kill 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. It's a fun game if you're into medieval weaponry or just like demolishing stuff.

My Favorite TV Musical Performances

Music on television is often a pretty disappointing affair. When I watch a talk show most of the time I change the channel by the time the musical act takes the stage at the end. Even when it's a band I like they're usually just lip-synching or going through the motions confined by the program's rules and regulations. However, there are some exceptions...


You'd think They Might Be Giants and the Tonight Show band led by Doc Severinsen would be an odd combination but together they did an amazing version of "Birdhouse In My Soul". Love the way the guy with the flattop is bobbing his head along to the music.


After playing "Less Than Zero" for about 10 seconds, Elvis broke into "Radio Radio" a song he'd been forbidden from playing on the air. Lorne Michaels later chased him off the studio and was banned from American television for 5 years.


I can relate a lot to this song. And hell who doesn't like Johnny Cash?


It's so legendary that it's almost a cliche'. Keith Moon fills his drum kit with extra flash powder. Pete Townshend temporarily loses his hearing in the resulting explosion. Bette Davis watching offstage faints into Mickey Rooney's arms.


The Whites Stripes studio version of "Let's Build A Home" is a bit tepid but live on Conan O'Brien they completely killed it. Maybe with a little luck they'll include it on a greatest hits album.