Pop Culture Kids Should Have #PCHH

Linda Holmes, Trey Graham, Glen Weldon, Mike Katzif

Last week's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from National Public Radio was primarily devoted to paying tribute to new mom Barrie Hardymon and to suggesting pop-culture entertainments for children. After the show's recommendations were elaborated on by posts both on that site and its Facebook page, I had lost track of the plethora of great suggestions (and hit myself on the head for failing, for example, to recommend the children's books of Marjorie Flack (1897-1958) and others). So what would be handier and quicker than to organize all those suggestions? Oh. Not so quick. But here's what I came up with by combining what was posted. To find out why folks came up with those specifics? Well, check out the show, its comments, and its Facebook page. 

TV

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994)

Adventure Time (2010- )

Animaniacs (1993-1998)

Blue's Clues (with Steve) (1996-2002)

Dexter's Laboratory (1996-2003)

The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966)

Electric Company (1971-1977)

George of the Jungle (1967)

Jack's Big Music Show (2005-2007)

Kids' science shows, such as Beakman's World (1992-1997), Bill Nye The Science Guy (1993-1997) and, of course, Mr. Wizard [Watch Mr. Wizard (1951-1972) and Mr. Wizard's World (1983-1990)]

The Magic Garden (1972-1984)

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968-2001)

Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)

The Muppet Show (1976-1980)

Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1990)

Peter Pan starring Mary Martin (1960)

Phineas and Ferb (2007- )

Pinky and the Brain (1995-1998)

Rocky and Bullwinkle

Schoolhouse Rock (1973-1985, 1993-1999)

Sesame Street (1969- )

The Simpsons (1989- )

SpongeBob SquarePants (1999- )

Tiny Toon Adventures (1990-1992)

The Upside Down Show (2006-2007)

The Weird Al Show (1997)

Movies

Babe (1995, 89 min.)

Babe, Pig in the City (1998, 97 min.)

Fantasia (1940, 124 min.)

Fantasia/2000 (1999, 74 min.)

Hansel and Gretel (1954, 72 min., with Anna Russell as the witch)

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977, 74 min.)

The Muppet Movie (1979, 95 min.)

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985, 90 min.)

The Point (1971, 74 min.)

Films with the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, and Danny Kaye

Looney Tunes cartoons ["What's Opera, Doc?" (1957, 7 min.) especially]

Books

Art Baltazar (1968- ) Tiny Titans series

Doris Burn (1923- ) Andrew Henry's Meadow

Patricia Coombs (1926- ) Dorrie the Little Witch series

Susan Cooper (1935- ) [The Dark Is Rising series]

Bruce Coville (1950- ) Magic Shop series

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) [Note: While such of his children's books as Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and The Gremlins are well known, some of Dahl's output is for older readers]

Eleanor Davis (1983- ) The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook

Ul de Rico (1944- ) The Rainbow Goblins

Kate DiCamillo (1964- ) and Alison McGhee (1960- ) Bink and Gollie illustrated by Tony Fucile

"Franklin W. Dixon" the Hardy Boys series

Edward Eager (1911-1964) [the Magic series]

John D. Fitzgerald (1906-1988) Great Brain series

Louise Fitzhugh (1928-1974) Harriet the Spy

Wanda Gág (1893-1946) Nothing at All and Millions of Cats

René Goscinny (1926-1977) Asterix series illustrated by Albert Uderzo (1927- )

Theodore Gray (1964- ) The Elements

Ben Hatke Zita the Spacegirl series

Kevin Henkes (1960- ) including Chester's Way; Julius, Baby of the World; Lily's Big Day; and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

Hergé (1907-1983) Tintin series

Norton Juster (1929- ) The Phantom Tollbooth illustrated by Jules Feiffer (1929- )

"Carolyn Keene" the Nancy Drew series

Judith Kerr (1923- ) Mog the Forgetful Cat

James Kochalka (1967- ) Peanutbutter & Jeremy; Pinky & Stinky; Monkey vs. Robot; and Johnny Boo

Gordon Korman (1963- ) [the Bruno and Boots series]

Roger Langridge (1967- ) The Muppet Show comic book

Joaquin Salvador Lavado ("Quino," 1932- ) Mafalda comic strip (1964-1973 in Argentina)

Munro Leaf (1905-1976) The Story of Ferdinand illustrated by Robert Lawson (1892-1957)

Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) A Wrinkle in Time

Elizabeth Levy (1942- ) Something Queer Is Going On books

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) The Chronicles of Narnia

Mercer Mayer (1943- ) Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo and One Monster after Another

Jean Merrill (1923- ) The Pushcart Wars and The Toothpaste Millionaire

A.A. Milne (1882-1956) Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner

Barbara Park (1947- ) Junie B. Jones series illustrated by Denise Brunkus

Dav Pilkey (1966- ) Captain Underpants series

Peggy Rathmann (1953- ) Good Night Gorilla

Andy Runton Owly series

Lore Segal (1928- ) Tell Me a Mitzi

Ellen Raskin (1928-1984) The Westing Game

Anne K. Rose The Triumphs of Fuzzy Fogtop

Louis Sachar (1954- ) Sideways Stories from Wayside School series

John Scieszka (1954- ) Math Curse and any of his other collaborations with artist Lane Smith (1959- )

Maurice Sendak (1928- ) Nutshell Library and the TV musical Really Rosie (with Carole King) based on it

Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) The Lorax

Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) The Growing Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up [Note: As with Roald Dahl, be aware that not everything by Silverstein was aimed at a young audience.]

Christian Slade Korgi

Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002) Caps for Sale

Donald J. Sobol (1924- ) Encyclopedia Brown series

Kean Soo Jellaby

Art Spiegelman (1948- ) and Françoise Mouly (1955- ) editors of the Little Lit series

Raina Telgemeier (1977- ) Smile and comics adaptations of The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin (1955- )

Jill Thompson (1966- ) Magic Trixie

Judith Viorst (1931- ) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Landry Q. Walker (1971- ) Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade illustrated by Eric Jones

Bill Watterson (1958- ) Calvin and Hobbes collections

E.B. White (1899-1985) Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web

Audrey and Don Wood Quick as a Cricket

Jane Yolen (1939- ) Sleeping Ugly

"Records"

Free to Be … You and Me (record and book) (1972)

P.D.Q. Bach

Edvard Grieg "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt

Michael Flanders and Donald Swann

Arlo Guthrie Woody's 20 Grow Big Songs

Tom Lehrer "New Math," "The Elements," and his songs for The Electric Company

Peter, Paul and Mommy

Sergei Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf (Columbia recording directed by Stokowksi and narrated by Basil Rathbone or — on Disneyland backed with Dukas' The Sorceror's Apprentice — Sterling Holloway)

Leos Janacek, Rudolf Tesnohlidek, and Stanislav Lolek The Cunning Little Vixen (Spoiler note: The Vixen dies in the end: not the case in the original comic book.)

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine Into the Woods (Act I)

Camille Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals (Trey recommends the version in Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts; my favorite is the version with comedy narration by Ogden Nash)

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ella Jenkins

Allan Sherman

Bob Newhart

Smothers Brothers

Bill Cosby

Shelley Berman

"Darktown Strutters Ball" and "Jelly Roll Blues" performed by The Boston Pops

Sweet Honey in the Rock

Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition

Spike Jones

Sufjan Stevens

Pete Seeger

They Might Be Giants kids' music

Simon and Garfunkel Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

Engelbert Humperdinck Hansel und Gretel

Motown: The Big Chill soundtrack

Henry Mancini "Baby Elephant Walk"

Johann Strauss II "Blue Danube Waltz"

Stevie Wonder

The Supremes

Iron & Wine's Kiss Each Other Clean

Raffi Baby Beluga

The Flirtations singing Fred Small's "Everything Possible"

Gian-Carlo Menotti's "The Telephone" 1949 (Columbia) version (Marilyn Cotlow and Frank Rogier), now maybe available on the Pearl label

Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Volume One: The Early Years

Other

Wonderground Radio (online/HD station run by The Current, a Twin Cities station)

The Goon Show radio series (1951-1960)

Wii games, especially with a group

hooded animal towels

Jearl Walker The Flying Circus of Physics and website, books, etc.

Gyroscope

Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky ballets Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker (Pacific Northwest Ballet version of the latter recommended)

Have a crazy uncle who provides such pop culture as episodes of Mel Blanc's Story Lady radio show and Jack Benny's radio show.

"Expose them when they're too young."

Stay up on new technology: Develop animation skills via iPad and DSi, record yourself reading to your children.

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Topper, Turnabout, TCM, and ... Thorne Smith

"Mom," I said when I was 10 or thereabouts, "what's 'ribald' mean?" Because I had just pulled from the bookcase a Pocket Book edition of Topper - and the cover told me it was "a ribald adventure" by Thorne Smith. However she explained it (and I don't recall: ah, the challenges of parenthood), I read the book and was delighted - and went in pursuit of other novels by Smith. We had a few: Topper Takes a Trip, Turnabout, The Stray Lamb, and Rain in the Doorway, as I recall. Eventually, thanks to perseverance and used book stores, I added to the collection: The Glorious Pool, The Bishop's Jaegers, Did She Fall?, The Passionate Witch, Skin and Bones, and The Night Life of the Gods. They were deliciously "naughty" (and I didn't understand all the implications of all the "naughtiness," I think it only fair to point out here), and at some point I even made a list of how many times I'd read each one so's not to favor one over another in the course of many re-readings. Two of the novels (The Bishop's Jaegers and Did She Fall?) were not fantasies. Each of the rest had a supernatural gimmick. Topper involved ghosts. The Stray Lamb involved being turned into animals. The Night Life of the Gods featured an invention that turned people to stone and brought statues to life. And so on.

So when Glen Weldon on National Public Radio's Pop Culture Happy Hour discussed the upcoming film The Change-Up, he went on to suggest that "body-swapping comedies" were a genre and rattled off references to a number of films in that genre without even going back to Disney's two versions of Freaky Friday. And that discussion suddenly reminded me of Turnabout - and made me wonder whether Smith had, indeed, created a genre in 1931 (with a sort of subgenre in The Stray Lamb in 1929 - with who knows how many resultant Disney projects in that grouping). I think Smith did - and that, in turn, led me to grab a copy of Topper again to revisit his fiction to see whether I liked his writing as much now as I had decades ago. I did. At random from the set-up of Topper:

Mr. Topper and his neighbors were quietly proud of his street, and had born their assessments as a tolerant father bears the extras of an extravagant son at college. One could bring one's friends from the city to this street and let it speak for itself, which one seldom did. Sewerage, real estate and the cost of building were subjects far too fascinating to be left to the imagination, so the visitors from the city heard all about these things, and were not amused.

At any rate, my guess is that few today have read many of Smith's works - and the film adaptations some of them achieved hardly conveyed all that could have been translated from his novels. But, on the trail of the Turnabout genre, I discovered that January is apparently Turner Classic Movies' month to celebrate Thorne Smith movies (or, as Peter Sanderson commented, maybe it's just that TCM is paying tribute to Hal Roach). In any case, I've had that channel tuned so as to watch (January 23) I Married a Witch (based, albeit with changed ending, on The Passionate Witch), (January 25) Topper, and (January 26) Turnabout, Topper Takes a Trip, and Topper Returns. And, with Turnabout, I may be watching the beginning of a genre.

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Pop Culture Happy Hour #PCHH Follow-Up: Gifts

In the first of National Public Radio's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcasts of 2011, there was something of a catch-up on gifts from the end of 2010. Listeners may have yearned for (to pretend to coin a phrase) outward and visible signs of inward and emotional delights. There was, for example, a question regarding the success of Stephen's gift of an arcade-size game of Frogger, ostensibly for his kids. Here for all to see is a photo of that success (and, fear not, all three had a chance to play). (You may also be canny enough to see that, while Frogger was A Main Attraction, other games were included in the device.)

I also had the opportunity to capture an image of the reaction of "Monkey See" blogger Linda Holmes to another gift. Let me put on the record here and now The Tale of the Sampler: Several months ago, an annoyed comment was posted regarding something or other on "Monkey See": "This is beneath NPR's dignity." I wrote to Linda that that was the sort of remark that cried out to be immortalized via a cross-stitched sampler. She responded that, if such a thing were to be created, she would be pleased to hang it. So I asked a craft-skilled friend - Kim Frankenhoff, wife of Comics Buyer's Guide Editor Brent Frankenhoff - whether she could provide such a sampler. She tackled the project with a will, coming up with a variety of fabrics, sizes, threads, font choices, and the like. We plotted it out together, she did all the work (including her own design of the fleur-de-lis ornaments), and I took the completed project to a wonderful local shop where the folks know how to frame such things. I must say that, judging from Linda's reaction, the project was unexpected. I love it when things work out!

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Viewing Audio: Pop Culture Happy Hour #PCHH

Trey Graham, Mike Katzif, Glen Weldon, Linda Holmes



Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham



Have you followed National Public Radio's Pop Culture Happy Hour weekly podcast? It began in midsummer and continues weekly with (so far) only a one-week break (on December 31). All the shows so far are available for download, and my view is that it's fun to start with the first and savor your way through to the most recent episode, not only because there are occasional references to earlier podcasts in the course of things but also because there's something not to be missed in every show. The event is usually recorded on Monday or Tuesday and then polished to a fare-the-well for the Friday posting. Usual featured folks are "Monkey See" Editor Linda Holmes, Digital Media Editor and Producer Trey Graham, freelance commentator on comics and books Glen Weldon, and NPR Music Editor Stephen Thompson. (The podcast is produced by Mike Katzif.) It should astonish no one that I would listen compulsively due to son Stephen's presence in any case, but even on the one episode without him the show rewarded listening (and by "rewarded," I mean it was packed with insights and laughs enough to lead me to listen to it repeatedly).

In any case, it was a treat to sit in on (and actually provide a brief interlude for) the podcast that was made available for Christmas Eve listening. And I thought it might entertain some to see what I saw in what was, of course, an audio-only event. I have more photos, should folks want to view them - especially considering the fact that the Fancy NPR Microphones block some of the view in one of these photos. (It was only as I prepared to post this that I discovered I hadn't managed to get all the commentators in one shot. So it goes.)

What you hear in the podcast is pretty much what was said, with only occasional pauses to restart a comment that needed restarting. They could do this in front of a live audience. Hey, wait. Come to think of it, they did!

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How Santa Got His Red Suit

Yesterday, I wrote of the wonders of Christmases past - especially the delight of reading classic comic-book stories to our kids on Christmas day. Today ended up especially busy (and I suspect things will not become less busy as December 25 approaches), so there's no time for an extended essay. However, I have a suspicion that this week's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcast from National Public Radio (Tweet #PCHH) is going to have a mention (Dec. 10) of one of the stories I referred to yesterday. It's "How Santa Got His Red Suit," written and drawn by Walt Kelly, the lead story in the Dell Four Color comic book #61: Santa Claus Funnies copyright 1944 by Oskar Lebeck. If the PCHH gang chats about it, this is what they're talking about. Just saying.

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NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour Brings Comics to "Normals" - and Comics Can Learn from It

As an enthusiastic fan of National Public Radio and its "Monkey See" blog, I am, of course, devoted to its "Pop Culture Happy Hour" (for references to which, you can filter Twitter for #PCHH). Begun during the summer, the weekly podcast has become a treat to end the work week for many - and I should say before I go further that (full disclosure) two of the four participants are well known to me. Linda Holmes is a friend, and Stephen Thompson is a son. My son. So. In any case, it was of particular interest when I finally had a chance (following the delights of Black Friday) to settle down to listen to the November 26 event. While, as ever, there were a variety of pop-culture topics under discussion, a longer than usual chunk of the podcast was devoted to comic books. Comics commentator Glen Weldon, addressing the "non-comics folks" in the group, announced his plan to "dunk you into the turbid waters ... of the comics mainstream." (He also called them "three normals," which took them aback - with reason.) His initial plan had been to present each with a copy of Marvel's Spider-Girl #1 and Osborne #1, but both had been sold out at his local comics shop. (Collectors, take note.) Still in search of current iconic characters for the experiment, he purchased DC's one-shot Batman: The Return #1 and Batgirl #15 (each dated January 2011).

The discussion was revealing. The three "normals" are intelligent folks, deeply into popular culture and eager to find things to like in these issues. (In fact, there were gripes amid the ensuing posted comments from listeners that the participants had been too polite and eager to find things to like.) But the remarks included comments that it'd be handy for pros, as well as fans, to consider. The "normals" found, for example, that Batgirl was "easier to follow" than the "Done in One" one-shot. Stephen remarked that it would have been helpful to have had, say, a "60-second introduction" to what was going on. Among the barriers to entry was confusion over who was talking. (Weldon commented that thought balloons were a thing of the past - which, for some reason, I'd not internalized.) "These comics need to do more work," was another remark. Commenting on the difference from Silver Age comics, it was noted that these were "not as welcoming." "You need things to be clear."

Linda noted the distraction of ads for the newcomer, pointing out how confusing it would be, if - when reading a novel - a page of text advertising were occasionally inserted between story pages.

There's more - and it'd be great, if people (including pros) who are trying to increase the audience for mainstream comics would listen to what these adult "normals" have to say. "These comics need to do more work."

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Stephen Reads a Book

This is my son, Stephen. He says he will read a book. He does not say he will read a big book. But he says he will read a book. His mother is happy. "See? Stephen reads!" she will say. "Stephen reads a book!" (She knows Stephen can read. Stephen can even write. Stephen can, in fact, even edit. But now, now, now he will read a real book.) "Hot dog!" says his mother. "At last!"

I was listening, as I do every week, to the delightful National Public Radio Pop Culture Happy Hour. I think everyone who enjoys popular culture would enjoy this experience - but I confess there's extra fun for me because one of the participants is my very own son. And it's sort of like attending a party at his house without my having to travel many hours to get there. In any case, this time, he was waxing philosophical (as much as he does) over the fact that (without referring to notes) he had commented in passing on Slap Maxwell and Hooperman - and had had a discussion with friends over the most obscure details of Insane Clown Posse - but he (he said) hadn't read a book. (This could be substantiated, by the way, in an earlier NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour [that I won't link to] in which a mention of Death of a Salesman was followed by Stephen's quickly commenting, "I don't read books.")

(Let me say that he has occasionally read books in the past - just in case you wondered. But he has certainly not made a habit of it recently.) In any case, the lad now declares himself motivated to participate in "a project in which I read a book." [Show host Linda Holmes quickly suggested How to Win Friends and Influence People and added a possible vote for something by Miss Manners.] The point is that Stephen has actually taken the step of reserving for himself an e-mail address for the project: stephenreadsabook@gmail.com. And he has, moreover, expressed hopes that the book suggested might have some relevance to popular culture so that he could discuss it on the podcast.

I should point out that his 9-year-old son has read many books, recently completing the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series by Rick Riordan. In fact, that might be a place to start, Stephen: with a book that Jonah is reading. Wouldn't a father-son read-off be nifty? And, if Jonah still hasn't begun the "Harry Potter" series ... Well, what'd be more pop culture than that? With the forthcoming film about to whip Daniel Radcliffe fans into a frenzy? Think of Happy Hours filled with references to Muggles and Snape and Quidditch and He Who Must Be Obeyed ... Wups! Nope! Sorry! I blended my pop cultures there. But think about it, Stephen. Just saying ...

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